Silver linings aplenty for Langelaar after missing Olympic berth

Tyson Langelaar was a fan of James Bond movies growing up. The spy series a staple for him on plane rides.

This 007, however, did not capture the Winnipeg-born speed skaters’ heart — it broke it.

One of the most agonizing results of Langelaar’s career came recently at the Canadian Olympic speed skating trials in Quebec City, where he saw his dream of representing Canada at next month’s Olympic Games in Italy instantly melt away.

Langelaar, who needed a top-two finish in the men’s 1,500-metre event, finished in third with a time of 1:46:883. The difference between him and second-place Daniel Hall was a fraction of a skate blade or, more accurately, seven hundredths of a second.

Bisons volleyball squad has scrambling skills tested in injury-filled season

Julia Martens didn’t expect that she’d be setting balls for the two-time reigning U Sports Player of the Year in game action so soon, but the first-year setter has taken the opportunity in stride since being tabbed to tee up Raya Surinx and the rest of the Manitoba Bisons’ attackers.

The Westgate product has been nothing short of outstanding for the Bisons since assuming the starting role from fifth-year Elia Falcone, who developed a stress fracture in her foot in October.

While Martens would’ve liked her playing time to not come at the cost of a teammate, she’s run with the chance to play big minutes for the reigning national champions.

“It’s been amazing,” Martens said. “Unexpected, of course, but I’m super grateful just to have got the opportunity to play with all these fifth-year girls who are some of the best hitters in Canada. It’s been a really cool experience, getting to set them.”

Team Lawes makes Scotties Tournament of Hearts final spot on points

Team Kaitlyn Lawes is headed to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts by the slimmest of margins.

Their fate was no longer in their hands after losing to Beth Peterson in the Manitoba women’s curling provincial final in Rivers earlier this month.

“Honestly, I assumed we were hooped,” Lawes told the Free Press in a chat on Tuesday.

“I hadn’t looked at (the Canadian Team Ranking System) before provincials and we just had the goal in mind of going in there and wanting to win and earn our spot. And after the game was over, we had some texts from people saying, ‘Don’t be too upset, we think there’s a chance that you’re in.’”

The unsung playmakers of Olympic hockey magic

As the country’s top hockey talents celebrated their selection to the Canadian men’s national team that will play at next month’s Olympic Games in Milan, a pair of Manitobans knew their spots with the team were already secure.

Darren Granger and Kurt Keats aren’t household names like the players and coaches who make up Team Canada: Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Josh Morrissey, or head coach Jon Cooper, to name a few.

That’s because Granger and Keats’ work is done away from the cameras and the spotlight, in locker rooms and offices. Make no mistake, though, they have become equally important to Team Canada’s quest for gold.

Granger is the team’s head equipment manager, while Keats is one of two managers of hockey operations.

Bringing back Sea Bears’ Bilamu a no-brainer for club’s new head coach

After years of being overlooked in the league’s annual U Sports Draft, Nathan Bilamu was invited to Winnipeg Sea Bears training camp ahead of the 2025 campaign with nothing guaranteed.

Dedicated volunteers Kelly and Sandy Taylor receive prestigious Archery Manitoba award

Kelly and Sandy Taylor called it one of the greatest feats of their lives.

Bringing the largest event on the World Archery calendar to Winnipeg wasn’t easy, though.

Winnipegger Stone honoured to get Olympic call

Mark Stone feared he might have missed his one and only chance at the Olympics.

The Winnipegger was on the radar for Beijing in 2022, only to see the NHL withdraw from the Games due to the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Adding literal injury to insult, ongoing back issues became too much to bear, forcing him under the knife a few months later and casting uncertainty over his future.

“When I went down before my second surgery, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to play again. You know, it creeps into the back of your mind. The first surgery didn’t work,” Stone said Tuesday prior to his Vegas Golden Knights facing the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre.

Turns out the second time was the charm — both for his medical procedure and his dream of playing on the sport’s biggest stage. Stone was named last week to Canada’s Olympic squad, which will head to Italy early next month.

Peterson rink wins Manitoba to earn spot in Scotties Tournament of Hearts

RIVERS — Kelsey Calvert has enough provincial finalist trophies.

She knew it’d take her best effort to avoid a fifth on Sunday, and that might not have been enough against an incredible Kaitlyn Lawes team. But the skip put Team Beth Peterson into position to have the hammer headed to an extra end, and suddenly won the RME Women of the Rings final 9-7 when Lawes tapped her stone onto the pin.

The back-to-back provincial women’s curling finalists soaked up their long-awaited championship moment.

“We’re thrilled,” said Calvert, who lost the 2019 and 2020 Alberta finals before moving to Manitoba in 2023 and now lives in Carberry, married to former world junior champion Braden Calvert.