Team Yukon returned home from the Canada 55+ Games in Saint John, N.B., with a record number of medals.
The 137 Yukon athletes won 83.5 medals, breaking the previous Yukon record of 79, including 24 gold medals, 28 silver medals and 31.5 bronze medals.
Marg White, part of Team Yukon’s mission staff, said the games were well run.
“The Saint John organizing committee did a great job of everything,” said White.
Leading the way for Team Yukon was Donna Jones with six medals, including gold in the 200-metre dash and 400-metre run, and silver in the five-kilometre run, 10-km run, 800-metre run and triple jump.
Brenda Dion picked up five medals, including gold in the five-km run, 50-metre dash, 100-metre dash and long jump, and silver in javelin.
Watson Lake’s John Hall won four gold medals – 50-metre dash, 100-metre dash, long jump and triple jump – in the 80 and above category.
Team Yukon won 32 medals in track and field, 17 in distance cycling and 17 in swimming, with the remainder coming in running, golf, candlepin bowling, shuffleboard, eight ball, Scrabble, darts, horseshoes and bocce.
The bocce medals were the first the Yukon has won in the sport.
White said the shuffleboard final was a nail-biter, with the Yukon edging out Nova Scotia.
“It came down to the last disc being delivered on the shuffleboard to get our win,” said White.
The final score was 72-71.
Planning for the games started back in September for the Team Yukon organizing committee. Once the events were finalized, each host committee can add different events to a core group, a callout went to Yukon athletes in early 2018 to gauge interest.
By the time the June pep rally rolled around, registrations were all finalized.
“Team Yukon was definitely known by everyone,” said White, explaining the team shirts and jackets made the group stand out around the city.
“At the opening ceremonies, we basically walked down from the hotel by the harbour to the (Harbour Station) where they had the opening ceremonies as a team,” said White. “Closing ceremonies, the same thing. I think we made a lot of locals – people out having dinner and walking around – pretty happy.”
Contact John Hopkins-Hill at john.hopkinshill@yukon-news.com