N.S. paddlers primed for medals
Canoe and kayak events promise to run up count for Bluenosers in Week Two
With 15 medals in the rearview mirror, Team Nova Scotia’s second wave of athletes, coaches and officials will looked to add to the medal count as the second week of competition at the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg got underway Monday.
Nova Scotia chef de mission Stephen Gallant said the group is looking to keep up the momentum with sports that include canoe/ kayak, wrestling, women’s softball, road cycling, men’s and women’s indoor volleyball, swimming, tennis and golf.
“We look forward to great performances in all of the sports and a few to look out for include Grace Whebby and Ashley Card in women’s kayak, Nick Adams in wrestling, Connor Fitzpatrick in men’s canoe and Zane Clarke, our flag bearer for the closing ceremonies, in men’s kayak,” Gallant said in an email.
The first group of athletes left Manitoba on Saturday and the second group arrived later in the day.
Nova Scotia has historically done very well on the water at the Canada Games.
Four years ago in Sherbrooke, provincial paddlers scooped up almost half of the province’s total medals, winning 26 of Nova Scotia’s 56 medals.
Gallant said Team Nova Scotia had a good first week as it collected a pair of gold medals, seven silver and six bronze to sit seventh in the overall medal standings.
Besides the medals, Gallant said a number of athletes had personal best results and all had great experiences being part of the national event.
Brooklyn’s Sara Mitton in shot put and the combination
of Halifax’s Cameron Shaw and Justin Timmons of Bedford in the double-handed 29er class in sailing brought home gold.
Cambridge’s Ben Brown led the way on the track with three silver medals in the 200m, 400m and the 1500m para sprint competition.
Yarmouth’s Ryan Shay kickstarted the province’s medal drive on Monday when he took a silver medal in para discus on Monday.
Gallant said Mackenzie Myatt of Musquodoboit Harbour thrilled the crowds with her exciting
riding style when she won the silver in the mountain bike sprint competition.
Halifax’s Kobe Shannon and Chris Fricke turned plenty of heads by knocking off top teams to make it to the men’s beach volleyball final and take a silver medal.
Lauren Sullivan of Halifax had a strong and consistent week out in Gimli and sailed to a silver medal in the single- handed Laser competition.
On the track Dartmouth’s Don Peters led the bronze medal total with bronze in both the 100m and
200m Special Olympic category.
Mabou’s Siobhan MacDonald, the flag bearer for Week One, came through with a bronze medal in the 2.4m para mixed competition at sailing.
Halifax’s Casey Perrin added to the track medal haul by winning a bronze medal in the para shot put. Joy MacLachlan, also of Halifax, ran an exciting race to take the bronze in the 100m Special Olympic sprint competition.
In women’s soccer, Team Nova Scotia won bronze by topping Alberta 1-0.