Five must be a lucky number for Jesse Shade. The 18-year-old Wei Wai Kum member competed in five swimming events at the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg and he won five gold medals. These join the five medals (one gold, one silver, three bronze) he picked up last month at the North American Indigenous Games in Toronto.
Jesse brought home the gold in the following events:
50m Freestyle Special Olympics Male
100m Freestyle Special Olympics Male
50 m Backstroke Special Olympics Male
100 m Backstroke Special Olympics Male
50 m Breaststroke Special Olympics Male
Jesse was one of more than 4,000 athletes and coaches who took part in more than 250 events in 16 sports. They were cheered on by more than 20,000 visitors. The event celebrated the Games’ 50th anniversary. They are Canada’s largest multi-sport event for young athletes.
The First Nation communities of Treaty No.1, Treaty No.3, and the Metis Nation – represented by the Manitoba Metis Federation – were official co-hosts of the event. A statement from the Games Host Society said “The Host Society also recognizes the thousands of years the First Nations communities have called this territory home and the hundreds of years it has been the home of the Metis peoples. The Host Society and Co-Hosts respectively thank Turtle Lodge and the many Elders and Grandmothers that have provided the Games with cultural guidance and teachings that will make the 2017 Canada Summer Games one of the most inclusive in its 50-year history.”