Manitobans step to the podium eight times Thursday

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This article was published 03/08/2017 (3017 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Credit the dedication and teamwork of Manitoba’s female athletes for orchestrating the host province’s most memorable day of the 2017 Canada Summer Games.

Manitoba significantly boosted its medal output — and finally changed up the colour scheme — with an eight-medal haul Thursday, including a flashy gold in the female 400-metre final by 18-year-old Victoria Tachinski. The Winnipeg runner blitzed the competition with a time of 54.04 seconds on the University of Manitoba track.

Team ‘Toba locked its grip on three silver medals in athletics, including Rebekah Eckert’s second-place finish in the female triple jump, Nathan Smith’s leap in male high jump and Regan Hofley’s sprint in the Special Olympics’ female 100-metre event.

Tegan Turner earned a pair of bronze medals, finishing third in the female 100-metre and as a member of Manitoba’s 4×100-metre female relay team.

The accomplishment of Manitoba’s Kyla Roy, Claire Healey and Caitlyn Roy was, perhaps, the day’s most pleasant surprise, as the female triathlon relay team staved off Ontario, Alberta and Quebec to capture a silver medal at Birds Hill Provincial Park.

And in Kenora, Ont., Manitoba’s female quadruple sculls team of Emma Gray, Abby Dent, Justine Gillert and Gabriella Yakemow posted a bronze-medal-winning time of seven minutes, 6.49 seconds to finish just behind gold-winning Ontario and second-place British Columbia.

“I don’t even remember (the race). Every good race, you don’t remember it. It was really close off the start. It was our best start to a race ever,” said Gray.

The Manitobans were just four seconds behind Ontario and just a second behind B.C.

“It was a fight to the line. Nobody looked at the other boats. We didn’t really know where we finished. The three of us were just neck and neck throughout the entire thing, so it was a really exciting race to do,” added Gray, who could pad her medal totals today when she rows in the female single scull final and the doubles with Yakemow.

“Our crew has grown a lot over the past month. We’ve really come together strong. To get a medal at the Games with that crew, was an awesome experience.”

Meanwhile, the provincial male baseball squad is assured no less than a silver when it meets its green-clad nemesis and neighbour to the west, Saskatchewan. The gold-medal battle is set for 7 p.m. at Shaw Park.

Manitoba’s boys of summer earned a 1-0 victory over Alberta in a demonstration of solid pitching, stingy defence and timely hitting Thursday night.

Hours earlier, the female triathlon trio finished with a time of one hour, six minutes, 14.20 seconds, well back of B.C. (1:04:00.70) but solidly ahead of the rest of the pack in the female relay. Ontario (1:06:31.20) came in third to grab the bronze.

Each participant swam 250 metres, biked 6.6 kilometres and then wrapped up with a 1.6-kilometre run.

Kyla Roy, who broke the ice Monday with the host team’s first medal of the Games — a bronze in the female individual triathlon — sprinted from the beach at 9:30 a.m. and dove into the man-made lake to lead the way for Manitoba. She emerged from the water first, just as she had done three days before.

She also led the way in the cycle, however, a strong burst by B.C.’s Hannah Henry on the run left the hosts on the chase. Healey, just four weeks removed from an appendectomy, lost ground on Desirae Ridenour but increased the gap over Ontario, giving Caitlyn a 30-second cushion when she began her swim.

The 15-year-old never faltered, and, as she darted for the finish line, her Manitoba teammates met her and draped the provincial flag over her shoulders.

“I knew going into my part that most likely B.C. would be ahead, but I just had to keep pushing through for that silver,” said Caitlyn. “Oh my gosh, it was awesome. Running with the flag was so much fun. That’s the first time I’ve ever done that; and, with my teammates with me, it was so special.”

Manitoba’s male triathlon relay team of Adam Naylor, Quinn Desrochers and Raphael Armour-Lazzari raced to sixth place with a time of 1:01:48.90 in the afternoon. The B.C. (57:30.30) trio of Aiden Longcroft-Harris, Brock Oliver Hoel and Michael Milic earned the gold and Ontario (58:34.70) took the silver.

Healey went under the knife just four weeks ago, and her doctors doubt she could recuperate in time for the 50th anniversary of the Games in her home town. The 17-year-old athlete admitted she was worried but also had faith in her fitness level and resolve to race.

“I was freaked out. I’m four weeks out from the Games and I had no idea what I was going to do. I was devastated,” said Healey. “But after the surgery I kept positive about getting back to training. I was like, ‘You can do this, you can do this. You need to get there.’ And that’s what I did.”

Healey was back on the bike in a week but needed two weeks before she could swim and a few more days after that before she went for her first jog. The Winnipegger, who was at the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, B.C., as an alpine skier, said seizing a medal is a dream come true.

“This is incredible. I’ve never felt anything like this,” Healey said. “We spend a lot of time training together and we work really hard as a team and we see each other goes through every day and it means so much to do this with these girls that are such good friends of mine. I can’t think of anything much better than this.”

She said it’s inspiring to see female athletes leading the charge for Team ‘Toba. “It’s pretty cool to see the girls come out and dominate. It’s awesome to see.”

Claire’s mother, Anne Marie Healey, a two-time Canada Games participant in basketball in the ‘80s, said it was nerve-wrecking watching her daughter compete, considering what the St. Mary’s Academy student has been through the last month.

“I played sports my whole life and it is far easier to do it than to watch it,” she said. “You can deal with your own upsets and adversities but it’s so hard to deal with theirs. It’s pain-taking because you can’t fix it. But I’m so proud of her. She’s a phenomenal kid.”

Three other Manitoba female athletes — all part of the spare pool — were pressed into duty in the triathlon relay because of injuries to athletes from other provinces.

By a random draw, Mogan Ott was assigned to race with Alberta, Megan Van Heyst joined Newfoundland-Labrador and Zoe Penno hooked up with Team Quebec for a day.

Ott, who was actually born in Calgary, said it was an exhilirating experience to make an impromptu Games appearance.

“I got the call Wednesday and was so excited,” she said. “I feel bad it happened, but I was glad I could help and got this chance. It’s a big deal for me.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @WFPJasonBell