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Ohsada golden, Stewart hauls in medals at Special Olympics Canada Winter Games

“I am proud and happy … I was crying."

THUNDER BAY – Two Special Olympians from Canmore didn’t come home empty-handed from the latest Canada Winter Games.

Figure skating star Meg Ohsada was golden, and cross-country ski dynamo Shane Stewart was a medal-winning machine at the 2020 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games from Feb. 25-29 in Thunder Bay, Ont., proving they are among the elite in the nation.

Ohsada, 25, won gold in level 3 competition this year and has now won gold medals at three straight Special Olympics Canada Winter Games dating back to 2012.

“I am proud and happy … I was crying,” Ohsada said about her gold medal-winning performance.

Ohsada also finished in fourth in level 3 ice dancing.

Training with the Canmore Skating Club, Ohsada’s coach Robin Forsyth Tkacz said that her pupil has improved in details in elements at the national competition.

“She’s not just performing the elements of getting it done, she’s performing it to high quality,” said Forsyth Tkacz. “If you look at her report card she got well majority of golds scored and I think that’s a big improvement from the last few times she had been out there and that’s in holding landing positions and performing elements at greater speed, which was her biggest improvement this time out.”

Skating legend Scott Moir was in attendance and gave Ohsada a big hug afterward. As one of her two favourite skaters, it was a special moment for Ohsada who performed at Moir and Tessa Virtue’s farewell tour, Rock the Rink, last October in Red Deer.

Stewart, 36, won bronze medals in the 5-kilometre classic, 7.5-km classic, 10-km classic, and silver in the team relay.

“Shane is pleased with everything,” said Joyce Chilcott, Stewart’s grandmother, following the winter games. “For the 7.5 [kilometre], he really skied extremely well.”

Fatigue played a factor during Stewart’s first race, the 5-km, due to the team arriving late to Thunder Bay the day before.

“On the first day, he thinks he didn’t ski as fast as he should have,” Chilcott said.

The winter games are held every four years and the pair of Canmore athletes have a knack for winning often and winning big.

Team Alberta earned 86 medals (34 gold, 26 silver, 26 bronze) in eight sports over the five days.

“To say that Team Alberta was triumphant would be an understatement,” said Team Alberta Chef de Mission Jodi Flanagan, in a press release. “Alberta had many great victories over opponents or with personal best scores. We had many achievements over the year including fitness growth, team bonding, and improvements in their sport performance.”


Jordan Small

About the Author: Jordan Small

An award-winning reporter, Jordan Small has covered sports, the arts, and news in the Bow Valley since 2014. Originally from Barrie, Ont., Jordan has lived in Alberta since 2013.
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