Jesse Shade of Campbell River won two golds in the Special Olympics swim events.
鈥淚t鈥檚 crazy. I wouldn鈥檛 think in this big meet, with all of sa国际传媒, that I would get two gold medals. I wouldn鈥檛 have thought that in the world,鈥� he said, in a statement.
鈥淵ou get tired after the [first] race, but then you get pumped up because there鈥檚 so much energy here.鈥�
A couple of 14-year-old Victorians to watch for, Michael Schmidt and Sophie Lorette from the UVic/Pacific Coast Swim Club, struck for bronze medals in the men鈥檚 50-metre breaststroke and women鈥檚 200 butterfly, respectively. Mikyla Carlow of Youbou won bronze in the women鈥檚 Special Olympics 100 freestyle.
Led by Keaton Gudz鈥檚 individual leaderboard third-best 70, the all-Island sa国际传媒 team of Royal Colwood鈥檚 Gudz and Nolan Thoroughgood, and Arbutus Ridge鈥檚 Tristan Mandur, was in second place at 141 after the opening round of the 72-hole men鈥檚 golf competition at the Southwood Club. Thoroughgood and Mandur both shot opening-round 71s. Quebec leads at 138 with Manitoba third at 143. Alberta and Ontario rounded out the top five at 146.
Golf has now become a base multi-Games sport, including in the Summer Olympics.
鈥淢y favourite part of the village is hanging out with other athletes, and also the food has been spectacular,鈥� said Gudz, the Spectrum graduate, headed this fall to play in the NCAA Pac-12 for the Oregon State Beavers.
A total of 36 Island athletes have won 47 medals; this year鈥檚 contingent has surpassed the 43 medals won by Island athletes at the last sa国际传媒 Summer Games, in 2013 at Sherbrooke, Que.
sa国际传媒 has 84 medals and is tied for second with Quebec behind Ontario鈥檚 131.
