Figure skater Eric Radford makes his hometown of Red Lake, Ont., proud at winter Olympics

Canadian figure skater Eric Radford is taking to Olympic ice for a third time this year, competing with partner Vanessa James at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.

James and Radford only teamed up about a year ago and at first intended just to skate together in exhibitions. James, who was born in Canada, had competed for France at three previous Olympics, while Radford and previous partner Meagan Duhamel won team gold and pairs bronze in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018 and a team silver medal in Sochi, Russia in 2014.

Before an action packed weekend, Radford connected with the CBC's Superior Morning to talk about his time at the games, but also opened up about the journey leading up to this point and his connection with his hometown of Red Lake, Ont. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: This is the third Olympics that you've been to. How is this compared to the other two?

I mean, in terms of setting,  it's great — Sochi, the Olympic Park was really beautiful. So was Pyeongchang. The biggest difference here is that none of the athletes have any friends or family and that creates a slightly different dynamic. I think a lot of the athletes probably miss that aspect of this games. There's no Canada house, and that's where a lot of the athletes would convene after their competition and you get to celebrate with all your friends and family. It was like a really special vibe. So that part is missing. 

Q: You have a new skating partner, Vanessa James. You've been together just about a year, how is that going?

It is amazing. It's been an incredible adventure and journey since the day that we decided to kind of take our first steps toward this goal. Our time here has been amazing. We've been practicing really