Swimming medals and a soccer stunner: Here's Team N.L.'s experience at the Canada Games so far

CBC

12 hours ago

Newfoundland and Labrador athletes excelled on the home field during the first week of the Canada Summer Games in St. John's.
From medal-winning performances to drama on the pitch, these were some of the best moments from the first week.
N.L. athletes make a splash
As of Thursday evening, the province's athletes had won three medals — and all of them were won in the pool.
It started with 18-year-old Gavin Baggs of Paradise.
He won silver in the men's 400-metre freestyle Para race on Sunday.
"This means so much," he said after the race. "It's just an honour to be able to represent my province, and absolutely an honour to win a medal for them."
Another Paradise resident, 24-year-old Thomas Pelley, won two medals.
Pelley won a silver medal in the men's 100-metre freestyle Special Olympics on Monday. He followed it up with a bronze medal on Thursday in the men's 50-metre freestyle Special Olympics.
"We couldn't be more proud of Thomas as he earned the title of a multi-medalist in the 2025 Canada Games right here in his home province," said Jamie Randell, chef de mission for Team Newfoundland and Labrador in a news release on Thursday.
"Thomas' perseverance and love for his sport is inspiring to us all. We know the entire province is beaming with pride."
What a save!
Another shining moment came on the soccer field, when Team Newfoundland and Labrador's fate was on the line.
On Wednesday, the team took to the field against Manitoba — not to play a full match, just a penalty shootout.
See the N.L. men's soccer team in penalty kicks to break a tie in the standings
2 days ago
The crowd was on their side as Team Newfoundland and Labrador took to the field for penalty shots only — and not regular match play. The CBC's Jeremy Eaton and Danny Arsenault were there to capture it all.
That's because goal differentials aren't used as tiebreakers in the Canada Games. As a result, penalty kicks were needed.
Goalkeeper Tawana Chitsike made a clutch save in the third round of kicks, and Team N.L. midfielder Thomas Foran found the back of the net to seal a stunning win for the host province.
"I'm extremely happy and surprised at how many people came out on such short notice," Foran told CBC News. "It's just really cool to see all the support."
Wildfires affect some sports
It was a stressful week for many in Newfoundland and Labrador with wildfires burning across parts of the province.
The fires also forced some sports to shift.
Soccer was moved away from Conception Bay South due to air quality and smoke concerns, while both sailing and beach volleyball were postponed for multiple days due to their proximity to wildfires.
Beach volleyball and sailing were able to resume on Thursday with modifications. A grass court was set up for volleyball, and spectators weren't present, but Newfoundland and Labrador finished the preliminary round undefeated with a win over Nunavut.
The first week's athletes will wrap up competition on Saturday before they head home, then the next group of athletes will begin arriving on Sunday.
More sports will kick off in the second week, including volleyball, golf, artistic swimming, athletics, men's lacrosse, mountain biking, diving, wrestling, men's softball and women's soccer.