30-05-2025
Repping the Maple Leaf
A historic number of Manitobans will compete for Team Canada in Germany this summer.
Six of the province's student athletes were named to the final roster that will represent Canada at the 2025 FISU Summer World University Games. Every two years, thousands of student athletes from over 150 countries compete for medals in 18 sports.
Earlier this month, U SPORTS announced five University of Manitoba Bisons — Dawson Mann, Jordan Soufi, Lara Denbow, Daxx Turner and coach Gee-ef Nkwonta — were selected.
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U of M triple-jumper Daxx Turner will represent Canada at the World Univesity Games this summer in Germany.
Winnipegger William Boyle, who attends the University of New Brunswick, was also named to the team and will compete in the 3000-metre steeplechase.
For five of the six Manitobans, it's their first national team appointment.
'To actually see these people get to live out their dream that they've had for so long doing this sport is cool,' said Nkwonta, former U SPORTS Assistant Coach of the Year. 'For some of them that I've been coaching since they started doing track, it's pretty cool that they get to experience this and I get to experience it with them as well.'
For Soufi, who will compete in the 200-metre and 4×100-metre relay pool for Team Canada, it's not the first time he's been in this position, after previously attending the Pan American U20 Championships in 2019.
However, it's still a special moment for Soufi, who says qualifying caught him a little bit by surprise.
'I'm primarily a 100-metre runner, and I rarely run the 200, so I expected myself to qualify for the World University Games for the 100,' said Soufi.
Even though he doesn't always consider himself a 200-metre runner, Soufi found himself running a personal best by half a second with a time of 21.19 seconds at the Canadian Olympic Trials in 2024.
This season, Soufi also broke his own record in the 60-metre dash with a time of 6.64 seconds, earning a silver medal at the U SPORTS National Championships in Windsor in March and setting a new U of M Bisons team record.
Now, training will look a little different for the athlete in the coming weeks, who will focus on special endurance — set distances at high intensity and over longer time periods. This training often includes running longer distances to help maintain proper form and running under fatigue, simulating the 200-metre.
'I'm excited about the whole experience,' said Soufi. 'Whether that would be going through the ceremony, exploring the area in Germany, getting to meet athletes, getting acclimatized to the environment, and also the competition itself, the high-level competition.'
Turner, a triple jump specialist, also brought home a silver medal at the recent U SPORTS National Championships.
He has an impressive record from his time at U of M so far, earning his first U SPORTS gold medal with a 15.82-metre school record-breaking jump at the 2024 nationals, going undefeated in the Canada West Championships in four seasons as a Bison, and earning silver in the triple jump with a leap of 16.14 metres at the Olympic trials last summer, which set a new provincial record.
'I've kind of been on the cusp of a national team about every year since I was 17,' said Turner. 'To fulfill a dream, especially for a younger self, definitely makes a lot of work feel very worthwhile.'
While the national team selection marked a high point for Turner, he admitted that winter seasons can be tough for him and that he wasn't able to train as intensely as he had hoped during the indoor season.
'I had to focus on my mental health a little bit more,' said Turner. 'Couldn't quite attack the track quite like I had hoped, but was still able to get some stuff done, and still managed to perform for the university at a relatively high level, at a level I was happy with for sure come championship season.'
Going into worlds, Turner says he will be focused on a calm and level-headed approach.
'As much as this is a really huge and exciting opportunity, trying not to let that change who I am as an athlete,' he said.
Nkwonta has a similar mindset for his athletes going into the competition.
'I think I just have to treat it the same way that I would any other meet,' said Nkwonta. 'Mentioning to them that there's nothing to lose at this point. Like, all you're doing is just enjoying the experience and doing what you've practiced.'
Denbow and Mann are the other two Bisons making their debut on the national team, both heading into the competition fresh off recent U SPORTS gold medal wins.
'I'm very honoured,' said Denbow. 'I've been working towards this goal for a lot of years now. I've been involved in track and field from a young age, with multiple national championships under my belt, and I'm very honoured to be finally making a national team.'
Denbow took home gold at nationals in Windsor in the high jump, becoming the back-to-back champion in the event she will be competing in at worlds.
Mann, who won the 600-metre event and earned bronze with the 4×400-metre team at nationals this year, will be competing in the 800-metre and 4×400-metre relay pool at the World University Games.
'It's a cool opportunity that we all get to share,' said Mann. 'It shows the strength of the talent within Manitoba and within the U of M program as well.'
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The Sanford native also won the Canadian Track & Field League Championships in the 800-metre last summer and, in his final season as a Bison this year, became the first athlete in over 30 years to run in all three relays.
'I definitely got to know people on the team super well through my years on the team,' said Mann. 'And just really thankful for all those memories and the travelling and the competing. It was a great part of my track career and my life.'
Going forward, Mann hopes to continue running and competing for as long as he can, with his sights set on making the 2028 Olympic team.
The 2025 Games will be held in five cities in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region of Germany from July 16-27.
