The Greater Vernon 2012 B.C. Winter Games ended Sunday with the final medals handed out and 1,145 athletes from across the province heading for home with memories of what will be, for many of them, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Fierce competition in 15 sports gave participants a taste of what it is like to perform in a multi-sport environment.
“I think you can wrap it up by saying these were literally the best ever B.C. Winter Games,” said BC Games Society president and CEO Kelly Mann.
Central Okanagan athletes performed well as zone 2 (Thompson Okanagan) placed second overall with 81 total medals.
The biathlon track at Sovereign Lake was one of the most successful areas for local athletes as a trio of athletes were triple medal winners in biathlon.
Mirena Dimova won gold medals in the senior girls sprint and super sprint races and added a bronze in the individual race. Carson MacKenzie won gold in the senior boys individual race, silver in the super sprint and bronze in the sprint. Sam Ruse was also a triple medal winner in biathlon placing second in the junior boys individual, sprint and super sprint races.
West Kelowna’s Jennah Smailes won a pair of medals in biathlon, capturing the silver in the junior girls super sprint race and the bronze in the girls sprint.
In badminton Claudia Lauretta and Leigh Kiryliuk each won a pair of medals, teaming up for the bronze in the team mixed. Lauretta also won silver in mixed doubles while Kiryliuk added a bronze in individual play.
Gurkimal Kaloty and Brett Michaud were double medal winners in karate as they teamed up for a gold in team kumite before Kaloty won a silver and Michaud a bronze in individual competition.
In Gymnastics Shane Hiscock was a double-medal winner, claiming an individual gold medal and a team bronze.
Here are the rest of the medal winners from the Central Okanagan:
• Gold
Chris Neykov – speed skating
Rhiannon Jones – karate
Joe Watson – karate
• Silver
Bailey Leatherdal – judo
Zane Torres – giant slalom
Brooke Lukinuk – ski cross
Vernonika Dimova – cross country skiing
• Bronze
Robbyn Hermitage – badminton
Hailee Friesen – biathlon
Jenna Mick – gymnastics
Hailey Deneault – karate
Gareth Williams – cross country skiing
Mitchell McCullough – speed skating
