Latest news with #MaxineLavitt
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Manitoba athletes winning medals, breaking records 1 week into Canada Summer Games
Manitoba athletes are adding their names to the history books at the 2025 Canada Summer Games in St. John's. Swimmer Maxine Lavitt broke the Canada Games record in the 50-metre freestyle para women's race with a time of 28.28 en route to a gold medal on Thursday. It's one of five medals she's taking home from the Games. "It's really special for me," Lavitt told CBC News Friday. "I think it's really cool that I get to have my name there, until the next Games. We'll see how long it stands for." "It means a lot to me because this was my last swim meet of my career," she said. "I'm taking a step back after these Games, so it was really special for me to go out with a bang, basically." Beyond the medals, Lavitt also said participating in the competition was a meaningful experience. "Being Red River Métis it was really special for me to represent my homeland and my province at the same time and for everyone at home to be watching me," she said. "And for everyone to be watching me, I've had so many people in my support circle who have helped bring me here. "It's been a really long year training to get here, so I'm happy it all paid off," Lavitt said. Manitoba had won 17 medals at the 2025 Games as of Friday night. Team 'Toba brought home 37 medals at the 2022 Games. The Games began Aug. 8 and run until Aug. 25. The competition's first week has been affected by the ongoing wildfire situation in Newfoundland, which has forced multiple venue changes and postponements. "We're so proud of all of our athletes and teams this week, putting in one outstanding performance after another in incredibly difficult circumstances," said Team Manitoba chef de mission Drew Todd, in a statement to CBC News. 'I was in disbelief' Also adding to Manitoba's medal count is William Wintoniw, who won a bronze medal Thursday in the canoe kayak C-1 5,000-metre men's race. "I was in disbelief to be honest for the first maybe half hour after my race ," he said. "I wasn't quite expecting it, but I was quite overjoyed. Wintoniw said being able to celebrate with his family felt "surreal." "I'm a lot younger than some of the competitors," he said. "I was going in with the mindset that I want to win, but I knew that there were a lot of others guys with a lot of experience." While Wintoniw still aims to compete in one more Canada Games, Lavitt had some advice for other athletes who represent Team Manitoba this year and in the future before she walks away from competing: Have fun. "For some people this is the only time they're going to have a major Games experience," she said. "It's just [about] having as much fun as possible and not taking yourself too seriously."
CBC
4 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
Manitoba athletes winning medals, breaking records 1 week into Canada Summer Games
Manitoba athletes are adding their names to the history books at the 2025 Canada Summer Games in St. John's. Swimmer Maxine Lavitt broke the Canada Games record in the 50-metre freestyle para women's race with a time of 28.28 en route to a gold medal on Thursday. It's one of five medals she's taking home from the Games. "It's really special for me," Lavitt told CBC News Friday. "I think it's really cool that I get to have my name there, until the next Games. We'll see how long it stands for." "It means a lot to me because this was my last swim meet of my career," she said. "I'm taking a step back after these Games, so it was really special for me to go out with a bang, basically." Beyond the medals, Lavitt also said participating in the competition was a meaningful experience. "Being Red River Métis it was really special for me to represent my homeland and my province at the same time and for everyone at home to be watching me," she said. "And for everyone to be watching me, I've had so many people in my support circle who have helped bring me here. "It's been a really long year training to get here, so I'm happy it all paid off," Lavitt said. Manitoba had won 17 medals at the 2025 Games as of Friday night. Team 'Toba brought home 37 medals at the 2022 Games. The Games began Aug. 8 and run until Aug. 25. The competition's first week has been affected by the ongoing wildfire situation in Newfoundland, which has forced multiple venue changes and postponements. "We're so proud of all of our athletes and teams this week, putting in one outstanding performance after another in incredibly difficult circumstances," said Team Manitoba chef de mission Drew Todd, in a statement to CBC News. 'I was in disbelief' Also adding to Manitoba's medal count is William Wintoniw, who won a bronze medal Thursday in the canoe kayak C-1 5,000-metre men's race. "I was in disbelief to be honest for the first maybe half hour after my race ," he said. "I wasn't quite expecting it, but I was quite overjoyed. Wintoniw said being able to celebrate with his family felt "surreal." "I'm a lot younger than some of the competitors," he said. "I was going in with the mindset that I want to win, but I knew that there were a lot of others guys with a lot of experience." While Wintoniw still aims to compete in one more Canada Games, Lavitt had some advice for other athletes who represent Team Manitoba this year and in the future before she walks away from competing: Have fun. "For some people this is the only time they're going to have a major Games experience," she said. "It's just [about] having as much fun as possible and not taking yourself too seriously."
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘I was able to finish my career on my own terms'
Maxine Lavitt is stepping away from the pool on her terms. The Winnipeg para swimmer capped an outstanding performance at the Canada Games on Thursday, striking gold in the 50-metre freestyle and silver in the 200-metre relay, marking her fourth and fifth trips to the podium, respectively, in St. John's, N.L. The 22-year-old won gold twice (100-metre breaststroke) and silver three times (100-metre freestyle and 100m backstroke) overall. TEAM MANITOBA PHOTO Team Manitoba's Maxine Lavitt picked up two golds and three silvers in the pool at the Canada Games. The Winnipegger also set a Games record in the girls' para 50-metre freestyle with a time of 28.28 seconds. 'It was really bittersweet. Before my last race, I was very emotional behind the blocks,' Lavitt told the Free Press by phone Friday. The Games were Lavitt's last event in full-time competitive swimming. She will step aside for the time being to focus on her career aspirations as an educator, but hasn't ruled out returning to compete at the master's level later on. 'Even during the race, I was trying to give it everything that I had,' she added. 'It wasn't my personal best result, but I felt like I just left everything in the pool, so I have no regrets with how I performed. And I'm very lucky that all of my competitors know me very well, and I know them very well, so before my race and after my race, they were all there to give me a hug.' It was a few years ago when Lavitt was at a crossroads with the sport she first started at 11. Born with a visual impairment, her vision deteriorated further as she got older to the point she was forced to leave the University of Manitoba Bisons' varsity swim team. Her disadvantage from the able-bodied athletes became too great and, more importantly, Lavitt no longer felt like she belonged. 'When I started my para swimming journey, it was out of a place of that I was dismissed from a university team for struggling with my disability, and I had no idea what was next for me, and I felt in my heart that I wasn't done swimming,' said Lavitt, who gets emotional whenever she talks about that feeling. Her career was offered a lifeline when coach Craig McCormick presented the idea of her transitioning to para athletics and joining the Junior Bisons Swim Club. Instead of sinking with her impairment, Lavitt swam to the challenge. 'My coach is the only reason that I got to have my career as a para swimmer, because he was the only person that let me back onto the team and pushed me towards getting my classification and swimming in an environment that was fair for me, and being able to be in competition where I felt safe and not dismissed by coaches,' she said. 'I'm very proud of myself, and I'm very happy for what I accomplished here, and that I was able to finish my career on my own terms and not have someone tell me that I couldn't continue swimming because of my disability.' Lavitt, who uses the brightly coloured lane ropes to swim in a straight line while a tapper at each wall tells her when to turn and kick, has experienced tremendous success since transitioning to the para ranks, including winning last year's Western Canadian Swim Championship and Canadian Swimming Championships. This was her first experience at the Summer Games. The only time she missed the podium was in the 100-metre butterfly — an event she finished third in — after being disqualified for swimming past the 50-metre mark in the pool. McCormick, who has coached Lavitt for seven years, called it a perfect ending to this chapter of her career. 'She was just very composed this Games. She took on a leadership role with the younger swimmers, being several years older,' McCormick said. 'I couldn't be more happy for her, because, short of one disqualification… even that would have really affected the following races (in past meets). She bounced back the next morning and went right after it again, and the results in the medals are proof of that.' Lavitt's Games included six events in six days, which was actually a sum of 12 races when including the preliminary trials. Though she admitted to feeling the effects of long competition days, she didn't let it affect her performance when it mattered most. Along with her five medals, Lavitt set a new Games record in the 50-metre freestyle race with a time of 28.28 seconds. 'That was kind of the trend for me throughout this whole meet. My morning swims were not very good, and then I was able to recoup and have better swims in the evening. So I knew there was a chance that I could do it, and with it being my last 50 freestyle, I just let it rip,' she said. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Lavitt leaves the Games thrilled about what she's accomplished in para swimming, and even more grateful for a community that welcomed her with open arms after she had sunk to a low point. 'I'm really happy with how I did at this meet,' she said. 'I've just been really fortunate to have people who are supporting me through this and the retirement.' X: @jfreysam Joshua Frey-SamReporter Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh. Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CTV News
6 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Team Manitoba wins gold at Canada Summer Games
Maxine Lavitt of Team Manitoba poses with her gold medal at the Canada Summer Games on Aug. 13, 2025. (Facebook/Team Manitoba) Team Manitoba has found its way to the top of the podium in several sports at the Canada Summer Games, including its first gold medals. As of Thursday, Manitoba has claimed 12 medals in the games in Newfoundland and Labrador. All three of Manitoba's gold medals have been in swimming events, with the most recent happening Wednesday. Teagen Ann Purvis won her second gold medal in swimming, finishing first in the 50m Special Olympics Women's backstroke event. She previously won a gold medal Tuesday in the 100m backstroke in the same event and has also claimed a silver in the 50m breaststroke. Maxine Lavitt has also claimed two gold medals in swimming. She won gold in the breaststroke in the para women's category and silver in the backstroke category. Other silver medallists include Ben Purvis (swimming 50m backstroke Special Olympics men) and Luke Enns (kayak 200m). Purvis also claimed a bronze medal in the men's 100m backstroke Special Olympics category. Manitoba athletes also claimed bronze in the kayak events, with Aleksander Seremak medaling in the 200m race and William Wintoniw winning in the 5,000m category.
CTV News
12-08-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Team Manitoba takes home three medals to start Canada Summer Games
Soren Weselake wins bronze for Team Manitoba at the Canada Summer Games on Aug. 11, 2025. (Team Manitoba/Facebook) Team Manitoba is off to a strong start at the 2025 Canada Summer Games, winning three medals in the first few days. Soren Weselake won Manitoba's first medal on Monday, taking home a bronze in men's road cycling—individual time trial. Following this win, Maxine Lavitt earned a silver medal in the para women's 100m freestyle event, with Teagen Purvis also winning a silver medal in the Special Olympics women's 50m breaststroke. Canada Summer Games Maxine Lavitt poses for a photo after winning a silver medal on Aug. 11, 2025. (Team Manitoba/Facebook) As Tuesday gets underway, the athletes are set to compete in soccer, baseball, cycling and more. The full schedule can be found online. The Canada Summer Games are on from Aug. 8 to 25 in St. John's, N.L.
