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Commonwealth Games
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Strange and true!
His medal from the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria is set into the stone on the grave of his cousin and best friend, Pat Delaney, who died in a car crash a month before Strange won his gold four years ago.
Strange dedicated those Games to Delaney's memory and had the medal sunk into his gravestone. He knew what he was going to do with that gold before he won it. This one he never thought about until after he won it.
"Maybe I'll put it in the bar,'' he said.
The co-owner of the Highland Tap in Niagara Falls, a 37-seat pub which planned to serve free Labatt Blue for an hour last night in honour of his gold here, won this one for himself, his teammates and "the Cuba of Commonwealth boxing'' as he called his country.
Canadian boxers won three golds, three silver and two bronze - an all-time high eight-medal haul to send the team to the Sydney 2000 Olympics with high hopes.
"I have unfinished business in Sydney and this is a momentum builder,'' said Strange of being jobbed in the quarter finals by a judging decision in Atlanta.
With one hand frozen, Strange used his experience and his defence to outscore Gerry Legras of the Seychelles.
"It feels great. Not too many people in boxing win back-to-back golds at any Games. The best part was to have my brother Jim here coaching me. There was a late scratch from the coaching ranks and my brother got picked to come here the last week before the Games. I've never lost with my brother in my corner,'' he said, asking for a plug for the Niagara Falls Casino that gave his brother time off work to come here.
Strange said there was more joy for him winning this gold than the one four years ago.
"This was easier. I didn't have as much stress. Having to fight after losing my cousin and my best friend left me with a lot of stress in Victoria.''
He'll go home and visit the grave with the medal around his neck. But after that ...
"I'm going to party a little bit.''
Not too much, though. He's looking ahead at Winnipeg and the Pan-Am Games next year and, ultimately, Sydney.
Jeremy Molitor of Sarnie in the 67-kilo class and Mark Simmons of Toronto in the 91-kilo division also won golds for Canada.