Kelowna-area Athletes Contribute Multitude Of BC Winter Games Medals

Led by a group of alpine skiers from Kelowna, Central Okanagan athletes contributed nine gold medals, six silver and 24 bronze to a third-place overall finish by Zone 2 (Thompson-Okanagan) at the 2016 BC Winter Games in Penticton on the weekend.

Isaac Athans of Kelowna, following in the tracks of his dad, Gary Athans, a former national alpine ski team member (1984 Olympics), raced to a pair of gold at Apex Mountain.

The 13-year-old, a member of the Apex Ski Club team, opened the weekend on Friday by winning the two-run combined giant slalom race and added another gold on Saturday in the two-run combined slalom event, despite a late-start position. Athans also finished fourth in Sunday’s slalom race.

On the girls’ side, Hallie Jenkins of the Big White Racers gutted out a gold-medal performance in the two-run slalom race on Saturday, edging the silver medalist by .04 seconds. Sunday’s single-run slalom race saw Jenkins blaze a path to the podium, while Big White teammate, Jaxon Slaney, charged the gates for a bronze-medal finish in the same race.

A sixth medal by a Kelowna skier came from Devon Blaser of the Apex Ski Club, who laid down a fast, clean run to earn a bronze in Sunday’s slalom.

Big White Ski Club’s Amy Jorgenson raced to sixth place in Sunday’s slalom race while Ana Large of Kelowna and the Apex Ski Club showed promise as a first-year U-14 racer, finishing sixth overall in Friday’s GS and 10th in slalom.

The Kelowna Skating Club contributed two gold medals and a bronze to the Zone 2 count at the Games.

Seven local skaters returned from Penticton with three of a possible six medals in the two girls’ singles events.

Leading the way was Kelowna’s own Ashley Sales, who struck gold in the Pre-Novice event. The 12-year-old Dorothea Walker Elementary student opened with a third- place finish in the short program, but dominated the free program, catapulting her to a 96.32 total points finish – nearly five points higher than the second-place finisher, Olivia Bau of Vancouver Island.

Joining Sales on the podium was her clubmate, Daria Carr, who scored a total of 81.08 points to win the bronze medal.

Meanwhile, in the Juvenile division, 10 year-old Vienna Harwood skated to a personal-best score of 31.19 points, and captured the gold medal in the field of 18 top BC skaters.

“These are very promising results for our club,” said KSC director, Jason Mongrain. “Many of our skaters who placed well at the BC Games in the past went on to have great success at the national level.”

Tianna Potts of the Mt. Boucherie Skating Club took to the podium to receive a bronze medal for her performance in the Juvenile division competition.

The Thompson-Okanagan ringette team, coached by Todd MacMillan and Riley Pickrell of Kelowna, won the gold medal with a 6-1 victory over Zone 4 (Fraser River) in the final.

Posting a 2-0-1 in round-robin play, the Zone 2 team advanced to the final by virtue of a tie-breaker by one goal.

Members of the team included Kelowna’s Amanda Wasylyshyn, Athena MacLeod, Carlie Dudych, Jessye Large, Kalina Slamka, Kiana McRae, Mari Weill, Nicole Amaral and Talia Russouw. Josh Carefoot of West Kelowna rounded out the Thompson-Okanagan team.

In gymnastics, Kenedi Woodcox of West Kelowna and the Okanagan Gymnastics Centre earned a gold medal in the Level 7 floor exercise event. She also finished fourth in the uneven bars and placed fifth all-around in the Level 7 competition.

OGC’s Brady Clegg took the silver medal in the Level 3 boys vault event and was fourth on the pommel horse.

Freestyle skiing saw 15-year-old Courtney MacDonald of Kelowna, but skiing out of Apex, earn a pair of silver medals and two bronze. The Okanagan Mission Secondary School student, who has been freestyle skiing for the past six years, finished second in the juvenile moguls event and placed third in both the slope style and big air events on the way to a silver medal in the combined standings.

Cole Isfan of the Kelowna Freestyle Ski Club claimed the bronze in the boys’ youth slope style event, while teammates Ainlsey Macdonald and Jordan Macdonald took the bronze in the girls’ youth slope style and girls’ youth moguls events respectively.

Winfield’s Anna Auch captured judo gold in the over 70-kilogram event, while Ben Leatherdale of Kelowna earned a bronze medal in the under 50 kg competition. Nick Dekergommeaux of Kelowna was a member of the Zone 2 mixed judo team that claimed the bronze medal.

A silver and bronze diving medal went to Kelowna’s 14-year-old Brady Diduck of the Kelowna Springboard Diving Club, who finished second in the boys’ Group B one-metre event and third in the three-metre competition.

The Taneda Karate Dojo and West Kelowna’s Jacob Vodarek led the Zone 2 team in the karate competitions, earning silver in the intermediate kata and kumite +55 kumite events. He added bronze medals as part of the Zone 2 kumite and kata teams.

Taneda teammates Dylan Reeves and Deston Giang of West Kelowna shared the intermediate kumite -44 kg bronze medals, while Paige Reekie took the bronze in the intermediate girls 44-55 kg event and Casni Govender was a bronze medalist in the girls intermediate kumite +55 kg competition

Paige Reekie and Govender, along with Simarjit Kaloty Kelowna, helped the Zone 2 girls kata team bronze and Govender also earned a bronze on the Thompson-Okanagan girls kumite team. Dylan Reeves and Giang were a part of the Zone 2 team that took bronze in boys’ team kata.

In the BC Winter Games archery competition, Autumn Kelbert earned a bronze medal in the two-day girls aggregate recurve event, while Christopher Basisty also won bronze in the boys two-day aggregate compound.

Badminton bronze went to Joel Comfort of Kelowna, who teamed up with Owen Robertson of Kamloops in the boys’ doubles competition.

Girls’ netball saw the Zone 2 team, coached by Rob Mitchell of Kelowna, play to a bronze medal. Reanne Mitchell of Kelowna and Summer DeGuevara of West Kelowna were a part of the team.

The lone medals for Kelowna speed skaters were bronze, won by Sally Haaheim and Liam Smith as part of the 3,000-metre mixed U-16 team.

The Thompson-Okanagan (Zone 2) team finished with 92 medals (25 gold, 22 silver and 45 bronze), while Zone 4 (Fraser River) team took first place with 107 medals, including 42 gold. Vancouver Coastal (5) was second overall with 105 medals, including 35 gold.

About 1,735 athletes, coaches and officials in 17 sports participated in the Games that also involved about 2,500 volunteers.

The B.C. Winter Games showcase the province’s best young developing athletes. They provide a unique opportunity for athletes to experience provincial competition in a multi-sport Games setting, taking the first step towards the national and international stage.