Vernon’s Joe Byram has the Midas touch at the Western Canada Summer Games in Kamloops.
Byram, a member of the Vernon Kokanee Swim Club and captain of Team B.C.’s boys swim team in Kamloops, had already racked up six gold medals heading into action Saturday.
Friday, he won the 200-metre backstroke in two minutes, 0.41 seconds. He added two more gold in the 4×50-m medley relay (swimming backstroke) and 4×100-m freestyle relay.
Byram opened the Games by taking the 100-m freestyle in 51.34, and the 100-m backstroke in 54.66, missing the provincial record by 0.05 seconds. His third gold came in the 4×200-m freestyle relay. Team B.C. finished six seconds clear of Alberta.
“We had a good staging camp and our team really bonded together. The whole team is into this experience and racing fast. All the athletes want to do well,” Byram told the Morning Star Friday morning.
The B.C. boys won 10 of 12 events heading into action Saturday, with their strongest events yet to come.
Meanwhile, the Kokanee’s Sarah Mehain collected bronze in the 50-m butterfly at the Pan Pacific Para-Swimming Championships Thursday in Edmonton.
She posted a best time of 41.22.
“That race felt really good,’’ said Mehain, 16. “I did what I needed to get on the podium. I wanted to get a strong start and kept strong throughout the race. I really look forward to training hard and improving.’’
Mehain also has fourth-place finishes in the 50-m and 100-m freestyle events.
