Team Prairie Central captures 3rd place

- By Morris Sokul, Prairie Central District for Sport, Culture and Recreation

March 08, 2026

key points from this story:

• 45 medals won including 16 golds
• Team maintains previous 3rd place finish
• Games hosted by Meadow Lake and Flying Dust
• Team Saskatoon wins overall games flag
• Prairie Central sweeps curling golds
• 139 athletes represent the district

Team Prairie Central captured 45 medals, including 16 gold, 16 silver, and 13 bronze, to earn third place in the medal standings at the 2026 Saskatchewan Winter Games hosted by Meadow Lake and Flying Dust First Nation. Team Prairie Central maintained its third-place status after placing third with 51 medals in the 2023 Games held in Regina. The team has traditionally placed fifth or sixth in past Games' medal standings.

The 2026 Sask Winter Games started on Sunday, Feb. 15, and ended on Saturday, Feb. 21. (16 sports, 1,500 participants)

Team Saskatoon captured the Sask Games Flag with 109 medals (30 gold, 37 silver, and 42 bronze). Team Regina finished second with 73 medals. The Games consist of nine district teams. The host, Team Rivers West, captured the Joe Griffiths Trophy for the most improved district from the previous Sask Winter Games.

Team Prairie Central swept gold in both male and female curling. Both teams went undefeated throughout the entire event.

Biathlon captured two golds (Heidi Niefer in Female Sprint and the Biathlon Mixed Team Relay), three silvers, and one bronze.

The Prairie Central gymnasts captured four gold, four silver, and two bronze medals, including gold in the team competition.

Navi Holowach captured two individual gold medals, winning the Balance Beam and Floor Exercise events, and added three silvers (Individual All-Around Female, Female Vault, and Female Bars).

Teammate Lily Palmer captured the Bars gold medal, while Georgia Adam took silver in the Female Floor Exercise and bronze in the Balance Beam event. A bronze medal was also earned by Danielle Dagos in the Individual All-Around Female competition.

Prairie Central Special Olympic bowlers captured three medals in total. The Mixed Team were crowned silver medalists. Jordon Dierker captured gold in the Individual Male Special O category, while teammate A.J. Tarnowski won silver.

Wrestler Victor Dupuis brought home gold in the 62 kg individual competition. Teammates Colten Gray and Henry Lennox Quirling won silver in the 80 kg and 80–90 kg events. PC wrestlers Marcus Pascual and Lena McKenzie added two bronze medals to the team’s tally.

In Judo, Prairie Central captured one gold (Kylee Freeman, 53+ kg Female), two silvers (Konnor Jones, 55 kg Male; and Freeman/Allen in the Mixed Komodo no Kata #3), and three bronzes (Harley-Anne Marie Allen, 53 kg Female competition; Kylee Freeman, Judo Newaza competition 53+ kg; and Konnor Jones, 55 kg Newaza competition).

PC had great success at the target shooting venue, capturing four gold, three silver, and three bronze medals. Gold medalists included the Mixed Team Air Rifle, Makayla Nelson in the Super Female Air Pistol and Individual Air Pistol events, and Tristan McDuff in the Individual Male Air Rifle competition. McDuff also added silver medals in the Male Super Finals Air Rifle and Air Pistol competitions and a bronze in the Super Finals Air Pistol. Team Prairie Central also won the Mixed Team Air Pistol competition. Logan Kluz earned bronze in the Individual Male Air Pistol, and Emily Eklund won bronze in the Super Finals Female Air Rifle.

The Male Futsal team won bronze in a 2–1 nail-biter, scoring in the final minute of regulation time to defeat Team Lakeland.

Weightlifter Rory Ralph captured Prairie Central’s only weightlifting medal, a gold in the 48 kg Female category.

Team Prairie Central consisted of 139 athletes, coaches, managers, and mission staff. The team achieved 60% of maximum athlete/coach/manager representation (no participation in artistic swimming and table tennis, one speed skater, and one weightlifter; ten ringette players split among six teams).