Team BC finished its final day of competition in the 2015 Canada Winter Games on Saturday by winning another 12 medals including, two gold, six silver, and four bronze, bringing the host province’s total medal count to 88.
Local snowboarders Evan Bichon, 16, and Meryeta O’Dine, 18, both of Prince George, dominated the snowboard cross competition at Tabor, bringing home gold medals in the men’s and women’s events. Katie Anderson joined O’Dine on the podium, she earned a bronze in snowboard cross.
“This was the result I was hoping for, but not necessarily what I was expecting,” explained O’Dine. “I was extremely nervous at the beginning of the race. I was last going into the first berm, but there was a path on almost every berm so I started passing. It was literally one of the most exciting races I’ve ever been in.”
O’Dine credits the Canada Winter Games with inspiring her to excel in her sport.
“The Canada Games are what really got me into snowboarding,” she said. “When I was just starting I knew someone that was going to the Canada Games and I was like ‘wow – she’s going to the Canada Games - I want to do that.’ Even though I was only 14 and hadn’t even raced yet. I am really proud now to be here and to have my own win.”
The table tennis competition came to a close with Team BC earning five medals. Silver medals were won in the girls doubles event: Natasha Carr-Harris (16, Vancouver) and Ivy Liao (13, Vancouver), the boys doubles event: Frank Liao (15, Vancouver) and Mike Yue (17, New Westminster), the girls singles event: Ivy Liao, and the boys singles event: Michael Luo (16, Burnaby). Team BC also won a bronze in the mixed doubles event: Michael Luo and Leanne Lee (17, Burnaby).
Thirteen-year-old Ivy Liao won silver in both the doubles and singles events. She faced off against an opponent who was five years older than her in the singles final and was extremely proud of her silver result.
“My opponent was rated much higher than me in the competition and she has a lot of experience so I came into the match knowing that I needed to be the one controlling the speed of the match,” said Liao. “I think I did a good job. I looped a lot and was quite consistent with my shots, I didn’t miss many and I forced her to miss some blocks so I was very happy.”
Liao had never competed in a multisport event until this week. She said the atmosphere was a highlight.
“There’s not usually much support for table tennis but our stands were full of people cheering for us,” she said. “It was an honour to be a part of it.”
Cross country relay teams skied their way to women’s silver and men’s bronze. The women’s team included: Katie Weaver (17, North Vancouver), Molly Miller (13, Kimberley), Hannah Mehain (16, Vernon), and Eliza-Jane Kitchen (18, North Vancouver).
The men’s bronze medal team consisted of: Julien Locke (21, Nelson), Colin Ferrie (21, Kimberley), David Palmer (21, Rossland), and Geoffrey Richards (22, Rossland).
The men’s judo team earned a bronze in the team event with contributions from: Leo Goldberg (15, Langley), Greg Laslo (18, Abbotsford), Ario Nishimura (16, Richmond), Tavis Jamieson (18, Delta), Daniel Henry (18, Campbell River), Braxton Clarke (18, Nanaimo), and Jeff Swadden (18, Abbotsford).
In squash the women’s team won silver. They were represented by: Michele Garceau (18, Surrey), Grace Thomas (16, Victoria), Andrea Toth (14, Richmond) and Zoe Colclough (16, Vancouver). The men’s team finished fourth.
In women’s curling, Team BC beat Alberta by a score of 9-8, finishing in fifth place.
Men’s hockey lost to Nova Scotia by a score of 3-2, to finish in sixth place.
Closing Ceremony Flag Bearer Announced
After two weeks of action including 88 podium performances by B.C. athletes, Team BC is proud to announce that squash athlete and double medalist Michele Garceau has been chosen as the Closing Ceremony flag bearer for Team BC.
“I am very happy and honoured to represent Team BC as the flag bearer,” said Garceau. “This has been the most ideal set up for squash at the Games with the glass courts and crowds out supporting us. This is a wonderful way to end a great Games.”
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Canada Games Flag Points
As medal standings alone cannot give an accurate depiction of each Provinces or Territories overall performance and strength, the Canada Games also awards points to every athlete in every sport based on performance and participation. These points are called Flag Points. At each Canada Games, the Province or Territory with the greatest number of points from all events is declared the champion and presented winner of the Canada Games Flag. BC finished third overall in Flag Points at the 2011 Canada Winter Games, with a total of 271.
The Centennial Cup, an award that exemplifies the sport development objective of the Canada Games, is presented to the Provincial or Territorial team that shows the greatest improvement from one Summer Games to the next or from one Winter Games to the next. The Centennial Cup has been won by 10 different Provinces and Territories since added to the Games in 1971.
For more information on these awards and others presented at the Canada Games, including past winners, click here to read more.
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Unofficial results. Click here for official medal standings
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21 |
34 |
33 |
88 |
Select links for photos and updates on each sport.
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