Breakthrough in The Rock blows open doors for Dunstone team

Colton Lott had a hero’s welcome all to himself Monday night at the James Armstrong Richardson International Airport.

Matt Dunstone’s third was serenaded by a bagpiper while making his way down the escalator to be greeted by his wife Kadriana, family, friends and even a pair of fans from his hometown in Winnipeg Beach.

Lott, the lone member of Team Manitoba that lives in the province, is back home after winning the Brier on Sunday in St. John’s, N.L., with a 6-3 victory over Alberta’s Kevin Koe.

“It’s been pretty surreal. I don’t even think it’s fully set in yet,” Lott told the Free Press.

Bisons make program history as drama reigns at track and field nationals

A photo finish doesn’t begin to describe what happened as the U Sports Track and Field Championships concluded Saturday at the James Daly Fieldhouse.

After three days of fast-paced action at the University of Manitoba, things came to a halt. One afternoon race was under review as officials spent more than three hours deliberating on a result that would determine the men’s national champion.

Hosting nationals for the second time in three years, the Herd’s program is growing at the right time. Fifteen Bisons competed for a medal Saturday, led by two veteran athletes who’ve been instrumental in the program’s success.

Fifth-year athlete Daxx Turner, the only triple jumper in Bisons history to win five Canada West Championships, aimed to close out his decorated collegiate career with a second national gold.

Five examples of representation in recognition of International Women’s Day

To mark International Women’s Day on Sunday, the Free Press is spotlighting five Manitobans doing impactful work in sports.

Alyssa White — para hockey athleteWhite was 14 when she made the Canadian women’s para hockey squad.

“It’s kind of wild still to me to think about because I had only started playing hockey a year prior to that,” said the now 20-year-old.

Carruthers calls it a career

Reid Carruthers, a nine-time provincial champion, announced on social media Wednesday that he is retiring after 20-plus years in competitive curling.

Team Cameron dissolving at the end of curling season

With the Olympics now in the rearview mirror, the dominoes are already starting to fall in the Canadian curling scene.

Team Kate Cameron announced early Monday that they will be parting ways at the conclusion of this season.

Cameron, third Briane Harris, second Taylor McDonald, and lead Mackenzie Elias lost the Manitoba provincial semifinal last month to Beth Peterson to miss out on a trip to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Cameron, a 34-year-old from New Bothwell, originally formed the team ahead of the 2023-24 campaign alongside McDonald, Elias, and former third Meghan Walter. They proved to be an immediate national contender by bringing home bronze from the 2024 Scotties.

Wesmen fall short in Game 2 against Dinos

It can be easy to forget that the Winnipeg Wesmen — for as talented as they are — are still a young team comprised of many first-time starters.

Friday night had many of the highs that the team has come to deliver on countless occasions in the second half of the season, but ultimately too many lows and a painful reminder of the squad’s inexperience as the Wesmen watched their lead disappear in what would’ve been a series-clinching set in Game 2 of the Canada West women’s volleyball play-in series.

The Wesmen, who had battled back after losing the opening set, held an 8-5 lead in the fifth set over the Calgary Dinos as the teams switched sides. What happened from there can be chalked up to naïveté.

The Dinos quickly knotted the frame at 8-8 and, following a Wesmen timeout, went on to win seven of the next 10 points to complete a thrilling and bitter 3-2 (25-19; 22-25; 22-25; 27-25; 15-11) comeback victory at Duckworth Centre.

Fact File: U.S. Olympic team did not use Tate McRae song to ‘troll’ Canada

A video that supposedly showed Team USA walking out to a Tate McRae song during the Milan Cortina Olympics opening ceremony went viral on Instagram over the weekend. The video was generated with the Sora AI platform, as a watermark that briefly appears on the video shows, and it includes inaccurate flags, flag-bearers and clothing. The account that posted the video has a history of generating AI fakes.

THE CLAIM

A video posted to Instagram Friday claimed to show Team USA "trolling" Team Canada at the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Olympics. 

In the video, athletes walk through a stadium while the song "Just Keep Watching" by Canadian singer Tate McRae plays in the background.