The 2019 Western Canada Summer Games are officially in the books as Team Yukon returns north with nine medals — three silver and six bronze — the highest-ever total for the territory.
Alberta finished first in the medal standings with 299 total medals and 129 gold, while host Saskatchewan was second with 213 total medals and Manitoba was third with 171 total medals.
The Northwest Territories finished fifth with six medals — including one gold — and Nunavut was sixth with two medals.
Team Yukon’s final three medals came in the wrestling competition.
Judy Russell won silver in the women’s 65-kilogram division, Jaymi Hinchey won silver in the women’s 38- to 40-kg division and Cassi Jensen won bronze in the women’s 61-kg division.
Earlier in the games, Mia Barrault won silver in the women’s 50-metre breaststroke, Julianne Girouard won bronze in the women’s 500-m and 1,000-m solo kayak races, Barrault won bronze in the women’s 100-m breaststroke, Mara Roldan won bronze in the women’s cross-country mountain bike race and Jack Amos won bronze in the men’s 5,000-m run.
Team Yukon also had a number of top 10 finishes in the final days of the WCSG.
Both the men’s golf and volleyball teams finished fourth overall, while the women’s volleyball team finished fifth. Emily King also finished fifth in the women’s heptathlon.
Darby McIntyre finished sixth in the men’s 3,000-m, Jetta Bilsky finished sixth in the women’s heptathlon, Alysha Gullison finished seventh in the women’s hammer throw, Brahm Hyde finished seventh in the men’s 3,000-m race and Aimery Barrault finished seventh in the men’s individual golf competition.
Jayden Demchuk finished eighth in the women’s shot put and ninth in the women’s hammer throw, Angus Clarke finished 10th in the men’s shot put, John Sierra finished 10th in the men’s 800-m race, Demchuk finished 10th in the women’s discus and Sammy Demchuk finished 10th in the women’s hammer throw.
Over the two phases of competition, a total of 134 athletes and 48 coaches, managers and mission staff from the Yukon participated in the games.
A quote attributed to John Streicker, minister of community services, in a press release from the Executive Council Office congratulated all those involved in Team Yukon.
“Congratulations to all Team Yukon athletes,” said Streicker. “Thank you to our coaches, mission staff, Team Yukon supporters, and of course all the volunteers in Swift Current. We are incredibly proud of our team and what you achieved.”
The nine medals for Team Yukon are a marked improvement over the last games in 2015, when the Yukon won just two medals — a silver in race walking and a bronze in judo.
The Western Canada Summer Games are held every four years and include athletes from western Canada and the territories.
Contact John Hopkins-Hill at john.hopkinshill@yukon-news.com
