From start to finish, Team Alberta made an impression at the 2025 Canada Summer Games in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, bringing home a total of 86 medals and finishing fourth overall.
Central Albertans played a key role in the province’s success, delivering standout performances across multiple sports.
On Friday, (August 22) Jenica Swartz of Lacombe captured gold in the Women’s 1500m, crossing the finish line in 4:18.63 despite windy and chilly conditions.
“I’m pretty happy about it, winning gold was a nice way to cap off the season,” said Swartz. “It was pretty windy and chilly, and I took the lead pretty early, which I didn’t necessarily want to do but after 800m, I went for it and hung on long enough to get the win.”
Team Alberta’s Women’s Volleyball squad cruised to a 3-0 quarterfinal sweep over New Brunswick, setting up a semi-final clash with Manitoba.
Chloe Penz of Red Deer, a key player on the team, said, “We’ve been really confident in our play and honestly, we’re playing really good volleyball. Going into semi’s we’re focused on our on sides and are planning to do what we do well and exploit their weaknesses. We want to have fun and play as a team. This is such a cool environment with so many fans, and we want to make the most of it.”
Medals came fast and furious on Saturday (August 23) at the games, Athletics added seven more medals to the tally, including a bronze in the Women’s Heptathlon for Paige Zinger of Red Deer, who competed in seven events over two days.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet. It’s been a long, hard road to get here and I wasn’t expecting it, so to be here was a blessing and to win a medal was a bonus,” said Zinger. “This medal shows that I can push through adversity and I’m so thankful for the support system I have around me and supporting me.”
Saturday's games also saw another medal going to Jenica Swartz of Lacombe for the Women’s 800m, with a track time of 2:09.09 getting her a Bronze to add to her collection.
On Sunday (August 24) closing out the competition five more medals were added.
Men’s Volleyball is bringing gold back to Alberta after a dominant 3-0 sweep over Manitoba in the final, capping off their tournament run on top of the podium.
After edging out Manitoba, 27-25 in a tightly contested first set, Alberta found its rhythm, claiming the second set 25-20 and sealing the win with a 25-18 finish in the third.
“Our team really came together. A 3-0 victory in the finals is amazing. I’m honestly so proud of these guys,” said Tyson DeZutter of Red Deer, an Outside for Men’s Volleyball. “Everyone played out of their minds today and it’s such a good feeling. We continued to trend upwards this whole tournament, and we saved our best game for last and that’s all you can ask for.”
Overall, Team Alberta finished the Games with 86 medals, including numerous gold, silver, and bronze finishes, marking another successful chapter in Central Alberta’s sports history.
The next opportunity for Team Alberta will come at the 2027 Canada Winter Games in Quebec City, February 27 – March 14.
For full up-to-date results on the game, visit the 2025 Canada Games website.
**With information from the 2025 Canada Games
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