BC Games Society – Team BC wins long track speed skating medal 
First gold medal of the games follows suit

Red Deer, Alta. — Team BC earned their first medal of the 2019 Canada Winter Games when athletes skated to bronze in the female team pursuit event at Great Chief Park.

The team — consisting of Yuna Lovell (Fort St. John), Amanda Mitchell (Fort St. John), Laura Hall (Salmon Arm) and Brooke Braun (Fort St. John) — edged out Manitoba by .34 of a second to take the bronze medal on Sunday afternoon.

“It is amazing, really great,” said Amanda Mitchell, who is from Fort St. John. “Honestly, it means so much. It means our hard work has paid off. It means that we are finally able to show something for all this work and years of dedication we have put into this sport.”

Quebec won gold with a time of 3:28.70 and Alberta earned silver with a time of 3:33.05.

It was only about 30 minutes later that freestyle skier Brayden Kuroda (Penticton) landed Team BC their first gold medal.

Kuroda had a combined score of 121.65 to land the gold medal at Canyon Ski Resort on Sunday.

Competition was tight between the three medallists, with Alex Mysko (Ontario) taking silver with a score of 119.57 and Olivier Lessard (Quebec) who earned bronze with a score of 119.29.

After qualifications, Kuroda sat in second place with a score of 121.57.

B.C.’s Josh Maga (North Vancouver) finished in fifth place with a score of 112.59 and Sam Cordell (Vancouver) landed in seventh with a score of 104.78.

Keep up-to-date with Team BC at the 2019 Canada Winter Games by visiting www.teambc.org and following us on social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) @GoTeamBC.

For photos of medallists contact judyjb@bcgames.org 

About Team BC
Team BC brings together the best athletes, coaches, managers, and mission staff to represent British Columbia at the Canada Summer and Winter Games. Team BC will send a delegation of 320 athletes, coaches, managers, and mission staff to represent British Columbia at the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, February 15 to March 3. Visit www.teambc.org for the latest news and updates. Visit www.teambc.org for the latest news and updates.

About the Canada Games
The Canada Games are a national multi-sport competition with participation from every province and territory in Canada. The Games are held every two years, alternating between winter and summer. The 2019 Canada Winter Games will be held February 15 to March
3 in Red Deer, bringing together approximately 3600 athletes, coaches, and managers from every province and territory to compete in 19 sports. Visit www.canadagames.ca to learn more.

Media Contacts:
Judy Joseph Black
Team BC Communications Manager
BC Games Society
judyjb@bcgames.org  
W: 250-356-8765
C: 250-812-7189

Links:

Media Services –  https://www.teambc.org/News/Media-Services
Hometown List – Click here for list of athletes by hometown
Participant Bios (Find an Athlete) – available from Canada Games https://cg2019.gems.pro