Team Manitoba kayaker Luke Enns leading by example at the Canada Games

CBC

6 days ago

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ST. JOHN'S – Luke Enns is one of the most accomplished athletes at the 2025 Canada Games.
That's not just because of the way the Olympic-hopeful kayaker carries himself in competition, but for how he does in everyday life — as a quiet leader on and off the water.
Enns competes in eight events at Quidi Vidi Lake, in the east end of St. John's, but his Canada Games experience stretches far beyond that. This is the third time the 19-year-old from Winnipeg has competed at the Games. He won two medals in kayak at the 2022 Games and competed in biathlon at the 2023 Games, but the 2025 Games are still a unique experience for him.
That's because Enns was chosen as Team Manitoba's flag-bearer for the opening ceremony.
"It was an honour to be the flag-bearer for Team Manitoba and to lead the team. I haven't had that experience before, so it was very, very nice," he said. "I did a speech at the pep rally [and] I said a couple of words."
The message he delivered to his fellow Team Manitoba athletes was simple: the most important lesson he's learned at the Canada Games is that hard work and dedication can put an underdog on the podium.
"I just shared my experience of in 2022 [when] we won two bronze medals. That was something that nobody was really expecting.
"One thing [I've learned at the Canada Games] is just to keep pushing no matter what," Enns said. "Even if you're in a position where you're not expected to do well or not expected to medal, there's always opportunities to medal or to do things that you didn't think were a possibility."
WATCH | Enns a leader on and off the water:
Enns isn't a loud voice, but one that resonates with his teammates — a natural who leads by example, according to Team Manitoba canoe-kayak head coach Jerome Seremak.
"He's really quiet and, you know, [keeps] to himself but he's really a team player, for sure. He's all for the team," Seremak said.
"He's a quiet [leader]; he doesn't like to push people, but when he's asked, he steps up."
Enns has represented Canada at the international level at the 2024 Sprint Canoe Junior World Championships, as well as the 2023 Olympic Hopefuls Regatta in Poland. He won gold in kayak singles at the 2022 Sprint Canoe Nationals, and was a multiple medallist at the 2023 North American Indigenous Games.
The paddler has a wealth of experience despite starting his kayak career relatively late — he began almost by accident five years ago. Enns was looking for a summertime activity to supplement another sport — but kayaking soon became his passion.
"To be honest, [I chose] kayaking [because] I just wanted to be outside, and I wanted to do some cross-training because I was interested in cross-country skiing at the time," he said. "Then I slowly started getting faster and faster and got more and more involved in the sport."
Once new to the sport, now Enns is also counted on to be a mentor for his fellow paddlers.
"Well, I think I'm just in a position to do that because the guys on my team, especially the kayakers, are a bit younger. There's two older guys and two younger guys. And it's good to build the team around me so that we have good training partners and everything. So, making sure that they're improving, that's important."
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Excellence in sport, leadership, community involvement
His mentorship is one of the reasons why he was selected as a regional recipient of the Tom Longboat Award in 2024. The award recognizes Indigenous athletes that not only show excellence in sport, but also in leadership, and community involvement.
Enns, a Métis athlete, said the fact that he's representing the next generation of Indigenous athletes is important to him, especially within his sport.
"I like kayaking because it's a chance to put myself onto waterways that my ancestors have been through for years," he said. "So, kayaking is special to me in that way."
Enns has taught paddling at Métis school groups, summer camps, and individual lessons – dedication to the community that helped him "preserve and promote his Indigeneity while fostering connections to the land and water," the Manitoba Aboriginal Sports & Recreation Council noted.
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Enns said he takes his Métis heritage out onto the water every time he competes, but especially when he's at home.
"When I'm out on the water, especially at home and on the Red River, it's sort of been a historical waterway. So, paddling there is special," he said. "And taking that over [to Quidi Vidi Lake] is amazing to compete with everybody."
Enns not only balances his athletic pursuits with community service, he does so while working toward an engineering degree at the University of Manitoba.
One of the attributes that makes Enns such a special athlete is his drive and determination, something his coach believes will help him get to the pinnacle of his sport.
"He's driven, he has a goal," Seremak said. "The goal is potentially to go to the next Olympic Games, and we are working every year towards that.
"He is right on track."
Seremak said the Canada Games gives Enns the belief he's ready for the road to the Olympic Games.
"It gives him that [confidence] that he can be in an even bigger Games than this. Being in a Games like this is special, I mean just even making the team is special for any of the kids," Seremak said. "And, you know, just even dreaming that maybe [he] can do the same like Adam van Koeverden before him."
The Canada Games are helping Enns prepare for his next major competition, which are the national championships later this month in Regina. Beyond that, he's said he's not too focused on the future and possibly competing at the Olympics. He's just looking to keep getting better at his craft.
"I'm just here to kayak and to see how far I can get with it. We'll see how far I can go. I'll just be focusing on improving, more and more. The Canada Games give kind of a unique atmosphere [for that]."