Tuja Dreyer, a teenage swimmer from the Ross River Dena Council and member of Canada’s national team, was named a 2025 Team Canada Indigenous Athlete Award recipient by the Canadian Olympic Foundation on June 25.
Dreyer is one of five Indigenous athletes selected to receive the award, which includes a $20,000 grant over two years to help cover the costs of training and competition, according to the foundation.
The Team Canada Indigenous Athlete Award recognizes not just past performance, but the potential of what’s to come. For Dreyer, the honour affirms his breakout season in 2024 and milestones such as qualifying for the junior national team.
“What I’ve been told is that the criteria was based around my last year’s performance and the start of this season,” Dreyer said.
“It was mainly last season where I had, I’d say, my biggest breakout. I made it to my first trials and then I actually made the junior team to go to Junior Pan Pacific that year as well.”
Dreyer won gold at the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic trials, held May 13–19, 2024, in Toronto. His performance at the trials earned him a spot on the national team for the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Canberra, Australia, from Aug. 21–24.
Earlier this season, Dreyer competed in Vancouver and at the Tyr Pro Swim Series in Chicago, gaining experience against athletes in an internationally ranked setting. He also planned to race at the Montreal Grand Prix but ultimately stepped back to prioritize shoulder rehabilitation.
Despite a breakout season last year, Dreyer has battled through a shoulder injury this season that forced him to scale back training and skip key competitions. He also fell ill just a week before trials for the Junior World Championships, scheduled for Aug. 19–24 in Romania, derailing his preparation and costing him a chance to qualify.
“We were hoping to make junior worlds in Romania, but I got sick a week before trials and kind of ruined my taper before the meet,” Dreyer said.
“I didn’t quite make the team. It’s pretty sad, kind of bummed me out the first couple days, but I just have to take it as, you know, part of the journey process.”
Dreyer relocated from Victoria to Calgary this year, adjusting to a new training environment at the University of Calgary while managing limited access to long-course pools during trips back to the Yukon. Despite the setbacks, Dreyer told the News he has stayed focused on recovery and has used the time to rebuild physically and mentally for next season.
"I'm kind of taking a slight step back because the shoulder health issues, but my main goal right now is to get ready for next season so I can really dial it in," Dreyer said.
Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com
