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Huge Canada Summer Games medal haul for Cowichan Valley athletes

No one comes home from Niagara empty-handed
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Coach Naomi Walser and players Anikka MacDonald and Elora Waardenburg made history as the first silver medallists in Canada Summer Games girls box lacrosse history. (Submitted by Naomi Walser)

All of the Cowichan Valley athletes who attended the Canada Summer Games this month have returned home with hardware.

Six athletes from the Valley travelled to Ontario’s Niagara Region for the Games, which ran from Aug. 6-21. and combined to collect eight medals.

READ MORE: Cowichan Valley athletes off to Canada Summer Games

Both rowers from the Cowichan Valley claimed gold and silver medals. Gunnar Platt of Shawnigan Lake won gold in the men’s double sculls and silver in the quad sculls, while Mira Calder of Mill Bay won gold in the women’s four and silver in the women’s eight.

Evan Russell of Mill Bay was also a double medallist in cycling. Russell took silver in the men’s individual time trial and bronze in the criterium, while also placing sixth in the men’s road race.

Dylan Gage, also of Mill Bay, helped Team BC to silver in men’s basketball. Gage recorded five points in a 115-83 win over Newfoundland and Labrador, and 12 in a 105-67 victory over Alberta as Team BC won their pool. He put up 11 in a 123-36 qualification round win over the Northwest Territories, 12 in a 117-81 quarter-final win over Saskatchewan, and four in a 98-74 semifinal win over Alberta before being held off the scoresheet in B.C.’s only loss, an 81-70 defeat in the tournament final.

Cobble Hill’s Elora Waardenburg and Anikka MacDonald helped make history as Team BC took silver in the first-ever girls box lacrosse tournament at the Canada Summer Games. MacDonald stopped 27 of 32 shots in B.C.’s tournament-opening 5-0 loss to Ontario, and 15 of 18 shots in a 9-3 win over Nova Scotia. Waardenburg had an assist against Nova Scotia, a goal and a helper in an 8-1 quarter-final win over Quebec, and Team BC’s only goal in a 2-1 loss to Ontario in the gold-medal game.