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They came from all over Saskatchewan and got to represent Canada on the world stage.
Athletes, coaches and mission staff were all honoured at the Legislative Building on Friday for their participation in 2024 Olympic and Paralympic games.
One of those honoured was Paralympian Shelby Newkirk, who took home the bronze medal in the 100-metre S-6 backstroke.
“It feels amazing. This was definitely a goal going into it,” Newkirk told reporters.
“Me and my coach have always said you can only control your own race. I can’t control what everybody else does.”
The Saskatoon swimmer also competed at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2020 but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there weren’t any fans at her event.
This time around, Newkirk said the crowd noise from packed stands was almost overwhelming.
“Once we hit the water, I just knew that I had to trust my training. I’ve swam thousands and thousands of laps every single year, so I knew that I could do it,” she said.
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Kenzie Priddell is a creative swimmer that hails from Regina. (Daniel Reech/980 CJME)
The Olympics was also a moment Kenzie Priddell has been dreaming about her whole life.
The creative swimmer from Regina, who trains in Montreal, competed at both the Tokyo and Paris Olympic games.
“When we got to Paris, I remember stepping on that stage and seeing the crowd and just feeling so proud to be there and so supported by my family and all the fans,” Priddell said.
“It’s almost indescribable to tell you guys how that first moment felt for me, but it was just so incredible, so special to experience it with my teammates and with the country.”
Priddell said years of preparation caused pressure and adrenaline to build up for her and her teammates ahead of finding out they had qualified.
“We knew that the chance was pretty slim so the moment we found out, I remember our whole team just dropped to the floor, crying and just (having) so much excitement. So that was definitely one of the highlights of my career,” Priddell said.
Laura Ross, minister of sport, culture and recreation for Saskatchewan, said lottery sales provided $1.4 billion in support of 12,000 sport, culture and recreational groups through Sask Lotteries.
She said it was important for athletes to receive support not only in the form of funding and facilities, but through family and friends as well.
“When we talk about support, yes it’s important to have the funding, the coaches, but also to have those family members that, like for Shelby, are able to get in the pool beside her,” Ross said.
“There’s lots of days I’m sure that our athletes work hard and they’re tired, and maybe they don’t quite get the accessibility they’d like. But when you have that support of family and friends and coaches, it makes all the difference in the world.”
Ross said Saskatchewan sent 38 athletes, coaches and mission staff to Paris.
Luke Flegel is the board chair of Sask Sport, one of the organizations partnered with Sask Lotteries.
He said Sask Sport is very proud of the people who represented the province in Paris.
“As long as we can support the athletes, that’s what we’re happy for, and we’re happy to celebrate them today and every other day and in their continued journey in both sport and outside of sport,” Flegel said.
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