RECAP : Gee-Gees strike gold at FISU World University Games
Four Gee-Gees representatives earned gold medals at the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games, including double-gold medallist Shilo Rousseau who was named Canada's flag bearer for the closing ceremony after a historic triple-podium-performance in the biathlon events.
In all, the University of Ottawa had six students and two staff members as part of Team Canada at the Games, competing in five different disciplines.
Rousseau, a fourth-year biology major from Thessalon, Ont., won Canada's first medal of the games when she claimed gold in the individual event. It also marked Canada's first ever medal in biathlon at a FISU World University Games.
Four days later she followed up with a silver medal in the sprint event, which made her uOttawa's first ever mutli-medallist at a FISU World University Games. Finally, just one day after earning the silver, Rousseau captured gold in the pursuit. She is one of just three Canadians in history to claim two gold medals at a single World University Games and the first since 2003.
Canada also claimed gold in both men's and women's hockey, with Gee-Gees goaltender Aurélie Dubuc, women's assistant coach Greg Bowles (who served as head coach of Team Canada), and men's head coach Patrick Grandmaître (serving as an assistant coach at Lake Placid), contributing to the efforts.
Dubuc, a fourth-year human kinetics major from Trois-Rivières, Que., was dressed as the second goaltender for the gold medal match against Japan and had a notable 34-save performance in the Canada's 2-1 preliminary round win over the United States. She also recorded seven saves against Czech Republic as Canada's women's team went undefeated over seven games.
Zoe Pekos and William Ng joined Rousseau on Canada's biathlon team at the games. Pekos's top placings were 11th in the pursuit and 13th in the mass start, with Ng recording a 29th place finish in the sprint and mass start events.
uOttawa had two student-athletes competing at their second FISU World University Games: Aidan Kirkham competed in cross country skiing while Alexandre Cadieux competed in the snowboard cross. Cadieux, an environmental studies major, did not advance out of the qualifying rounds, while Kirkham, a master's student in epidemiology, was Canada's top finisher in the 30 kilometre mass start (in 16th position), and also contributed to Canada's ninth place finish in the 4 x 7.5 kilometre relay.
Gee-Gees at the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games:
Alexandre Cadieux - Snowboard Cross / Environmental Studies / Ottawa, Ont.
Aurélie Dubuc - Women's Hockey (gold medal) / Human Kinetics / Trois-Rivières, Que.
Aidan Kirkham – Cross Country Skiing / Epidemiology (Master's) / Kanata, Ont.
William Ng – Biathlon / Biology / Ottawa, Ont.
Zoe Pekos – Biathlon / Biology / Richmond Hill, Ont.
Shilo Rousseau - Biathlon (2x gold medal, silver medal) / Biology / Thessalon, Ont.
Greg Bowles - Women's Hockey Head Coach (gold medal)
Patrick Grandmaître - Men's Hockey Assistant Coach (gold medal)
MORE ON ROUSSEAU: (courtesy of U SPORTS International)
"Being named flag bearer is such an honour and surprise to me; coming into the games I didn't imagine winning any medals, let alone, two gold and a silver," said Rousseau. "I have put in so much hard work into being a student and an athlete and competing at a high level."
"For a sport like biathlon which typically not a lot of people in Canada know about, it is such a niche sport, it does not get much recognition. So, to have the flag bearer be a biathlete is amazing and making history."
"Shilo made history with our first three biathlon medals ever, including two gold," said Canada's Chef de Mission, Ben Matchett. "It's the most impressive individual performance at a winter FISU Games in a generation by a Canadian athlete at the winter FISU Games, and she deserves this recognition."
"She works really hard, all the time," said Team Canada and fellow uOttawa biathlete Zoe Pekos. "It's really nice for her to get that recognition. It's also cool that Canada as a whole is acknowledging a biathlete, a sport that doesn't get much recognition."