Nanaimo athletes accounted for nearly half of the Island zone’s medal haul at the B.C. Winter Games.
Youths from the city combined to win 19 medals at the games, helping Zone 6 (Vancouver Island-Central Coast) to a fifth-place finish in the medal standings with 44.
The games were held over four days this month in Fort St. John, with more than 1,000 athletes competing in 15 different sports.
“The participants will leave the B.C. Games with new friendships, with successes, and with a new a determination to chase a dream that is truly within their grasp,” said Alison Noble, President and CEO of the B.C. Games Society, in a press release. “We look forward to seeing the future success of these athletes, coaches, and officials who performed so well.”
The most-decorated local at the games was karate athlete Azia Deal of Shima Karate, who won a gold in team sparring, silver in advanced forms, silver in team forms and bronze in advanced sparring.
VIU student Agasha Mutesasira, who only took up the sport of wheelchair basketball last fall when she joined the Nanaimo Tsunami team, was able to help the Island squad to a silver medal.
“I had never tried wheelchair sport before. It was amazing to be part of this team,” said Mutesasira in a press release. “I had a lot to learn but the coaching helped me to challenge myself and get to new milestones I didn’t know were possible.”
Results from the B.C. Winter Games include:
Badminton – Mikayla Jankovic, silver, mixed team competition.
Gymnastics – Makayla White, bronze, team competition; Tatum DeSchutter, bronze, team competition, silver, floor; Hazel Quarress, bronze, team competition; Ryann Sandland, bronze, team competition.
Judo – John Krüger, bronze, team competition, bronze, wieght class; Ezekiel Moes, bronze, weight class; Clare Boulding, bronze, weight class; Sayjah Vieaux, gold, weight class; Kipling Szasz, bronze, weight class; Alewyn Gladstone, bronze, weight class.
Karate – Azia Deal, gold, team sparring, silver, team forms, silver, advanced forms, bronze, advanced sparring; Owen Hopewell, gold, team forms; Damon Baerg, gold, team forms, bronze, advanced open sparring; Morgan Scarisbrick, silver, team forms; Brea Gillette, silver, team forms; Ayanna Morneau, gold, intermediate sparring, silver, team forms; Hunter Shurniak, bronze, intermediate forms.
Wheelchair basketball – Agasha Mutesasira, silver.
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