Aug. 28 2009August 27, 2009 - Daily Media Bulletin
TEAM ALBERTA DAILY MEDIA BULLETIN
CHARLOTTETOWN—Team Alberta added three gold, seven silver and three bronze to its overall medal count on Thursday at the 2009 Canada Summer Games, bringing its overall total to 48 medals: 13 gold, 20 silver and 15 bronze. The Canada Summer Games are being held across Prince Edward Island, August 15-29.
Sam Effah Bolts to Gold and Canada Games Record in Men's 200-Metre Run
Calgary's Sam Effah flew around the track at the University Prince Edward Island to win the gold medal in the men's 200-metre race.
The 20-year-old clocked a Canada Games record time of 20.65 seconds.
"I definitely wasn't expecting to go that fast today, but I'm happy and will take it," beamed Effah. "It was a great race for me, and it was good to get a medal for Alberta."
Effah is no stranger to witnessing record times in the 200-metre race. Last week, the rising star in Canadian track and field circles hit the start line beside world record-holder in the 100- and 200-metre race, Usaine Bolt from Jamaica, at the 2009 World Track and Field Championships in Berlin.
"I was a little intimidated when I saw that I was racing against Usaine Bolt on the start list, but I had nothing to lose," added Effah, who finished third in the heat against Bolt which advanced him to the finals. "I learned a lot from that race. It taught me not to get caught up in who my opponents are, and gave me the confidence to know that if I can race against the fastest in the world, I can race against anyone."
Effah was joined on the podium by two Ontario athletes. Daniel Harper was second at 20.92, while Tyrone Halstead was third (21.03).
Meanwhile, Alberta's Amonn Nelson raced to the silver medal in the women's 200-metre run. The 20-year-old Nelson stopped the clock at 23.97. Quebec's Kimberly Hyacinthe captured the gold at 23.48, while Nova Scotia's Jenna Martin was third with a time of 24.02.
Heather Steacy Hammers Field with Golden Throw
Alberta's Heather Steacy destroyed the field en route to winning gold in the women's hammer throw competition at the University of Prince Edward Island on Thursday.
The 21-year-old Steacy, who hails from Lethbridge, celebrated her golden throw of 59.92 metres which was more than six metres further than the silver medallist from Quebec. Annie Larose finished second at 53.62, while Ontario's Kristin Obrochta was third at 52.89.
"It was a really good throw technically today for me so I'm happy for sure," said Steacy, who was ranked number one coming into the competition. "Obviously anything can happen in a competition, but I did think I could do this."
Steacy's golden toss is another step forward in her quest to compete for Canada, and at the Olympic Summer Games – a path already completed by her brother's Jim and Sean. Jim, who is a multiple Canadian champion, represented Canada at the Olympic Summer Games in Beijing last summer, while Sean has made the national hammer throw team several years in a row. It is a long shadow that Heather is poised to follow.
"It has been really good to have the experience of my brothers to rely on and it is definitely encouraging to see how well they have done," said Steacy. "It is definitely motivating, especially watching Jim compete in Beijing at just 24 years old because it generally takes longer to peak in our sport."
Dawn Nagazina Runs to Gold in 800-Metre Race
Dawn Nagazina added to the golden day on the track for Alberta.
The St. Albert resident clocked a winning time of 2:09.04 in the women's 800-metre run.
Nagazina was joined on the podium by Quebec's Annie Leblanc who finished second at 2:09.93, while Celia Peters, of Nova Scotia, who rounded out the podium in third with a time of 2:11.06.
Swim Team Continues Medal Haul in the Pool
Alberta's swim team continued its haul of medals from CARI Aquatic Centre, adding six more medals on Thursday.
The following are medal-winning performances from Team Alberta swim athletes:
Ø Rachel Nicol and Kayla Voytechek, both of Lethbridge, finished second and third respectively in the women's 100-metre breaststroke race;
Ø Deanna Matthews, of Edmonton, won a bronze in the women's 200-metre backstroke;
Ø Karl Wolk, of Edmonton, won the silver medal in the men's 100-metre butterfly;
Ø Women's 4x50 medley relay team of Lori Kremer, of St. Albert, Fionnuala Pierse, Edmonton, Brooklyn Snodgrass, of Calgary and Kayla Voytechek, of Calgary, won a silver;
Ø Men's 4x50 medley relay team of Nathan Kindrachuk, of St. Alberta, Braeden Newton, of Kitchener, Kyle Troskot, of Lethbridge, and Karl Wolk, of Edmonton, also captured the silver.
Women Wrestlers Add Silver Lining on the Mats
The women wrestlers' win-streak came to an end in the championship final at the Canada Games on Thursday.
Alberta was forced to settle for the silver after losing a well-fought match 28-23 against Ontario.
Saskatchewan won the bronze medal.
Individual weight class matches will be held on Friday.
Alberta Paddlers Sink Competition at Canada Summer Games
Calgary's Penny Jalkotzy powered Alberta to two medals through challenging conditions in canoe racing on Thursday.
Jalkotzy won a silver medal in the women's individual 2,000-metre canoe race, and then teamed up with Calgary's Shona Lewis to win a bronze medal in the women's 2,000-metre doubles event.
High winds played havoc for the nation's top young paddlers with waves and rough water capsizing many of the boats in the field on the Southwest River.
"It was a pretty crazy race because the wind was so strong and the waves were gigantic," said the 17-year-old Jalkotzy. "I think it is remarkable I was able to keep the boat on top of the water, but I'll take it and I'm happy with my day."
Ontario's Rachel Marcuson won the gold medal in the C1 competition, while Quebec captured the gold in the C2.
Men's Soccer Team Powers Forward into Semifinals
The men's soccer squad needed extra time to take down the host province, Prince Edward Island, 4-1 in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
With the score tied 1-1 after Calgary's Dean Northover beat the strong P.E.I. goaltender, the floodgates opened in the extra time which consisted of two 15-minute halves.
Calgary's Sean Colvin, the leading goal scorer in the tournament, netted the game-winning goal for Alberta.
"Our team has a lot of confidence and we are going to keep brining the heat," said the 18-year-old Colvin. "We are focused on getting to that gold-medal game."
Alberta will play Nova Scotia in the semifinals on Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Women's Volleyball Team Advances to Semifinals
The women's volleyball team moved one-step closer to the gold-medal game after squeaking by Saskatchewan 3-2 in a seesaw affair at the Chi-Wan Sports Centre in Charlottetown.
Alberta won the opening two games 25-20 and 25-17 before Saskatchewan forced a fifth game after winning 28-30 and 23-25. The Alberta women regained control in the final game winning 15-9.
Alberta will now play Ontario in the semifinals on Friday.
Alberta Women Finish Fourth in Golf's Debut at Canada Summer Games
A trio of Alberta golfers climbed their way into fourth spot in the women's team golf event that wrapped up at the Brudenell River Golf Course on Thursday.
Krista Fenniak, of Fort McMurray, joined up with two Calgarians, Jennifer Ha and Christie Lin, to card a combined score of 479.
Alberta's men's team lost another spot on the field, finishing sixth on a blustery day on the par-72 Brudenell layout. Edmonton's Cole Chelle, Calgary's Sang Lee and Carson Kallis, of Red Deer, posted a score of 451.
British Columbia won both the women's and men's tournaments. The B.C. women posted a score of 432, while the men's team finished at 429.
Golf is making its debut at the Canada Summer Games. The 54-hole team event uses the top-two of three athlete's scores posted towards the team total.
An individual competition is also being contested in conjunction with the team event. The low 15 scores and ties within 10 shots of the lead will play an extra round on Friday to complete the 72-hole individual stroke play event.
Complete Results and Schedules for Team Alberta and the 2009 Canada Summer Games
For more information, results and updates on how Team Alberta is performing at the 2009 Canada Summer Games, please visit us at www.teamalberta.org, or on the host society website at www.2009canadagames.ca on the Internet.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Chris Dornan
Team Alberta Media Liaison
Canada Summer Games
T: 902-626-9670 (During the Games)
C: 281-703-4394 (Back-Up Number)
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