Article content continued

Justine, the youngest sister, at 20, won gold in moguls at Sochi. Chloé, the middle sister, won silver. Maxime, the eldest, was 12th. Together with their parents, Johane and Yves, they drew international attention for their closeness, and for their support of each other.

And yet, their freestyle team nearly ran out of money by the end of the season. They had to appeal to a Canadian reality television show for funding. They have joined the chorus of amateur athletes whose fortunes fail to match the intensity of the Olympic spotlight.

Last fall, Jan Hudec, who in Sochi became the first Canadian man in a generation to win an alpine medal, was in Toronto with teammates. It was a fundraising trip: “We’re here basically to sell the team.”

“We’re pounding our chests, we’re cheering them on, but for some reason, they drop out of sight and out of the consumers’ consciousness right after the Olympics,” said Brian Cooper, president of S&E Sponsorship Group, in Toronto.

The Dufour-Lapointe sisters had promise to break that cycle. In news conferences held in the wake of their performances, they told of how the family sold its beloved boat in order to support fledgling careers on the mountain. The five of them were inseparable. When Chloé and Justine held hands behind the medal podium, they provided one of the lasting Canadian images of the Games.