Members of Team Yukon’s delegation to the 2024 Arctic Winter Games in Alaska are already sporting some hardware after three days of competition. On the morning of March 13, the territory’s medal count stood at 56.
According to a spokesperson from Team Yukon, the territory’s athletes have won 22 gold ulus, 15 silver ulus and 19 bronze ulus. (Ulu knives have been traditionally used by Indigenous peoples of the northern reaches of North America and the Russian Far East. The Arctic Winter Games medals are designed to resemble an ulu.)
The medal count numbers provided by Team Yukon are considerably higher than the numbers available on the 2024 Arctic Winter Games website, which seems to be updated at a snail’s pace.
As of 8 a.m. on March 13, Alaska led the medal count with 57 ulus, including 19 gold. This is according to data available on the Games’ official website, although it’s likely these numbers are higher and have not been updated.
Thirteen Yukoners found themselves at the top of the podium on March 12. The gold ulu winners for the day were Matthew London (biathlon ski), Mason Parry (biathlon snowshoe), Mya Wilson (archery barebow), Dawson Widney (archery barebow), Delia Therriault (archery compound), Dom Watt (archery compound), Augustin Greetham (junior kneel jump), Aven Sutton (snowboard slopestyle), Stian Langbakk (snowboard slopestyle), Danee Marsh (snowboard slopestyle), Seamus MacDonald (snowboard slopestyle), Myra Kendi (Dene Games snow snake) and Ellyann Dinn (alpine skiing slalom).
Two of the March 12 gold-ulu winners — Dinn and Parry — also placed first in events the day before.
On March 11, which saw events in all but three of the 20 sports, Yukon athletes secured gold-ulu finishes in biathlon, skiing and snowshoeing, among other events. Among the winners were Bree Labelle (Arctic sports triple jump), Isabelle May Paquette (Arctic sports triple jump), Niamh Hupé (biathlon ski), Lydia Brown (biathlon ski), Jasper Charlie (Dene Games stick pull), and Micah Robert McConnell (snowshoeing cross country).
On the curling rink, the girls’ squad won their first semi-final match on March 12, beating Team Nunavut by a score of 11-5. In their second semi-final matchup, the girls lost by nine points to Team Alaska.
Meanwhile, the boys’ curling team won their first semi-final match on March 12 against Nunavut by three points, 8-5. They lost their second semi-final match against Team Northwest Territories by seven points.
On the hockey front, the under-18 boys’ team took a shellacking on March 12 at the hands of the host region, Alaska, falling by a score of 9-0. On the same date, the girls’ team lost to the Northwest Territories’ squad by a score of 4-2. However, the boys’ under-15 team had a very different day on the ice, beating Nunavut 10-1.
On March 11, the Yukon girls’ hockey team fell to Alaska by a score of 6-3, with Maya Bulmer, Sophie Drummond and Kasey McKenna tallying goals. The territory’s under-18 boys’ hockey team beat N.W.T. 6-4, while the under-15 boys lost to Alberta North by a score of 8-3.
On the opening day of the Games, the boys’ under-18 hockey team tied Nunavut 1-1, and the under-15 boys bested N.W.T. 4-2.
This year’s Arctic Winter Games is being held in Mat-Su Valley, Alaska. The Games’ opening ceremony was held from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on March 10, and the closing ceremony will happen on the afternoon of March 16.
Contact Matthew Bossons at matthew.bossons@yukon-news.com