Gold medal for Island cyclist Ellsay
From the roads to the pool, Island athletes were heard from Tuesday at the 2017 Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg.
Gillian Ellsay of Courtenay churned through to win gold in the women’s cycling time trial.
“It was a goal to be top five,” said Ellsay, in a statement.
“But I didn’t really know what my form was like coming here. My coach was standing on the side of the road yelling that I was five seconds up.”
Jay Lamoureux of Victoria captured the bronze medal in the men’s cycling time trial and was spent doing so.
“That’s everything I had. I am just happy with the effort I gave out there,” he said.
“I heard the B.C. guys in the car honking and hollering and I saw the finish line up ahead, so I gave it everything I had.”
The Team Race Clean rider has already represented Canada with first place in the team pursuit at the 2016 track cycling World Cup in Glasgow and second place in the individual pursuit at the 2016 Pan American track cycling championships.
It isn’t lost on Lamoureux that the Canada Games are the national multi-sport gateway to the Olympics, world championships, and Commonwealth and Pan Am Games.
“This is my first multisport Games. I am hoping to go to the Commonwealth Game in 2018,” said the 21-year-old Victorian.
“[Canada Games] is a good experience. I saw the women’s and men’s volleyball last night, so it was really cool to get out there and meet other athletes.”
Meanwhile, a determined anchor leg swum by Jessica Lou of Victoria overtook Ontario to give B.C. the gold medal by just 7/100ths of a second in the women’s 4x200 freestyle swimming relay.
A total of 31 Island athletes have won 40 medals as this year’s contingent zeroes in on the 43 medals won by Island athletes at the last Canada Summer Games, in 2013 at Sherbrooke, Que.
There are 92 Island athletes on a Team B.C. numbering 354 athletes competing in 16 sports at the 2017 Canada Summer Games. Among those closely watched as the Games close out this week will be the all-Island B.C. men’s golf team of touted next-generation talents Tristan Mandur of Mill Bay and Victorians Keaton Gudz and Nolan Thoroughgood.
B.C. has 68 medals and is third behind Ontario’s total of 107 medals and Quebec’s 74.