Mission’s Arthur Barnsdale was the lone local to skate away from the Fort St. John 2020 BC Winter Games with a medal.
The speed skater was part of the bronze-medal-winning 3000 metres boys relay short track squad – along with Langley natives Theory Havelka and Mattias Daniels – that ultimately finished third in the province.
The Mission Racers member had a busy weekend in Fort St. John, as he also competed in four other speed skating events at the Games. He placed eighth in the seven -lap mass-start long track, 12th in the 400m short track, 13th in the 1500m short track and 16th in the 500m Olympic-style long track.
Mission athlete Lachlan Sandford narrowly missed earning a medal, as he and the Fraser Valley mixed wheelchair basketball team finished fourth. Also finishing outside of the medal race was Mission Noen Tomeldon, who, along with the Fraser Valley mixed judo team, finished fifth in the province.
Other locals competing at the Games in individual sports included: Jaymee Downey (17th, juvenile women’s figure skating) and Deroche’s Benny Peters (44th, men’s two-day run slalom).
The Fraser Valley zone – which consists of athletes from Abbotsford, Agassiz, Aldergrove, Chilliwack, Hope, Langley, Maple Ridge, Mission and Pitt Meadows – earned a total of 10 gold, 12 silver and 22 bronze for a total of 44 medals and finished sixth out of the eight zones at the Games.
The event saw over 1,000 athletes compete in 15 sports. During the closing ceremonies of the Games on Sunday, the BC Games flag was passed to Mike Keenan, president of the Maple Ridge 2020 BC Summer Games that will take place July 23 to 26.
