Call him the Karate Kid.
Jean Newell pulled in four medals, two team and two individual, including a gold medal in each, leading Victoria’s athletic contingent at the 2012 B.C. Winter Games in Vernon last week.
Newell is just one the 1,145 athletes, 292 coaches and 160 officials who took part in the 15 different sports.
Greater Victoria athletes pulled in their fair share of the Island/Coastal zone’s 52 medals. Some athletes came awfully close to adding even more medals, such as Hannah Benischek, who was fifth on the moguls, fifth on the dual moguls, sixth in the big air course and fifth in the combined course.
The Benischek family did prevail on the snowy hills however, as the younger Emma Benischek won silvers in the individual and dual moguls.
The Games ended Sunday (Feb. 26) with the final medals handed out and athletes headed for home with memories of what will be for many of them, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
As the B.C. Games cauldron flame was extinguished and the flag was passed to Surrey, host of the 2012 B.C. Summer Games, B.C. Games Society president and CEO, Kelly Mann said, “I think you can wrap it up by saying these were literally the best-ever B.C. Winter Games.”
Mann also commended the 2,400 volunteers, “Whether they spent four hours, or two years, they did a collective job that hasn’t been seen in this community for years and years.”
Medal results for Victoria athletes from the B.C. Winter Games in Greater Vernon, Feb. 23 to 26
ArcheryGold Match Play Recurve – Boys Willner, ColemanGold Aggregate Recurve – Boys Willner, Coleman
CurlingSilver Team Female – Silversides, Katherine / Brilz, SydneySilver Team Male – Silversides, Duncan / Boychuk-Chorney, Benton / Zorn, Jacob
Figure SkatingBronze Pre-Novice Women – Wavryk, Mackenzie
GymnasticsBronze Uneven Bars Girls – Louis, Natalie
JudoGold Boys under-50 kgs – Jolley, Brennan
KarateGold Team Kata Female – Irvine, CamilleSilver Team Kata Male – Newell, Geoffrey / Newell, Jean / MacDonell, AlexSilver Team Kumite Male – Newell, Jean / MacDonell, AlexGold Team Kumite Female – Irvine, Camille Bronze Boys Kumite +55 kgs – MacDonell, AlexBronze Girls Kumite +55 kgs – Irvine, Camille
Gold Boys KataNewell, Jean
Gold Boys Kumite -44 kgsNewell, Jean
Skiing
Silver Juvenile Moguls Female – Benischek, Emma
Silver Juvenile Dual Moguls Female – Benischek, Emma
MEDAL COUNT G S B Total
Vancouver-Squam. 34 30 17 81Thompson-Okan. 24 26 30 80Fraser Valley 26 16 30 72Van. Island/Coast 13 20 19 52Cariboo-North East 13 17 13 43Fraser River Delta 10 14 14 38Kootenays 5 2 7 14North West 6 2 3 11Gold/Silver/Bronze
