Senior sprinter Norm Lesage led a strong Zone 4 track and field team at the B.C. plus-55 Games in North Vancouver last weekend.
The 85-year-old Edmonds-area runner won three gold medals, setting a new provincial age-group record in each of the 100, 200 and 400 metres men’s races at the annual senior’s Games.
“I get more fun out of training than competing,” said Lesage a day after the Games. “I BS more when I go out there and run. I get a kick out of it.”
Distance runner Herb Phillips also won three races, including the 75 to 79 men’s 800, 1,500 and 5,000m.
Rose Hare was dominant in the weight events for 65 to 69 women. Hare won the discus, hammer throw and overall weight pentathlon, while placing second in the shot put to event winner Gabriella Moro and third in the javelin.
Moro also won the silver medal in discus and bronze in the hammer.
John Jordan won gold in the 65 to 69 men’s 800m and silver at 400m. Jordan also shared a bronze on the 4x100m zone relay.
Olli Korhonen was second in the 65 to 69 men’s long jump and third in the high jump.
Also on the podium were silver medallist Debbie Jordan in the 55 to 59 women’s 1,500m, Gary Leung with a silver in the 55 to 59 triple jump and bronze medallist Ralphe Stanfield in the men’s 80 to 84 100m.
In the pool, Mario Pavlovic dominated at the 55 to 59 age group. Pavlovic won six individual medals, including gold in the 25m backstroke and 800m freestyle, and four bronze in the shorter freestyle distances. He also took silver with the A freestyle relay team.
Refik Mujanovic won a silver medal in the 65 to 69 men’s 25m breaststroke and bronze in the 200m free.
Jung Shin also took a bronze in the 25m back.
Local cyclists Barbara Davies and Peter Benn both won three medals apiece.
Davies swept the 65 to 69 women’s competitive road race, time trial and hill climb. Benn won gold in the 60 to 64 novice men’s time trial and hill climb, while finishing second in the road race.
Craig Premack was second in the 55 to 59 men’s competitive hill climb.
Burnaby golfers also brought home a lion’s share of the gold.
Harbans Kandola and Kaz Nakamoto won their respective low gross divisions.
Teresa Choi, Peg Williams and Duck Yee Choi, in the 80-plus category, placed first in their respective low net categories.
Yeung-Nan Park, Diana Williams and Lyn Haggllund also medalled on the golf links.
Burnaby table tennis players garnered a majority of the city’s overall medal haul.
Alfred Wong won the 65 to 69 competitive men’s singles. Wong also won the mixed doubles and was second in the men’s doubles.
Fuqiang Wei took gold in the 70 to 74 men’s competitive singles. Wei also won bronze in men’s doubles and mixed doubles with Susan Chow.
Chow shared doubles gold medal Sandy Ho.
Ho and Wan Kim won silver in the mixed doubles.
Mike Yoo won a silver in 75 to 79 men’s competitive singles and Peter Zhu took bronze in the 60 to 69 recreational singles.
Kim and Yoo teamed up for a silver in doubles.
Ming Cui placed first in the 60 to 64 men’s recreational singles.
Jimmy Chow also went home with gold in 70 to 74 men’s recreational singles. Chow also teamed with Yin Ling of New Westminster for a silver medal in mixed doubles.
Duan Deng was first in the recreational 70-plus women’s doubles with Ledira Ernest of New West.
Ernest also teamed up for a gold with Bob Costello in mixed doubles.
Pamela Zhou won a bronze medal in recreational 60 to 64 mixed doubles and with Amy Wen Chen in 55 to 59 women’s doubles.
Evelyn Tek Yung Lau earned a silver in 70 to 74 competitive women’s doubles.
Burnaby was also big into badminton.
Joelanne Stanfield was the 75 to 79 competitive women’s singles champion. She also won gold in women’s doubles.
Seng Lau took gold in the 60 to 64 recreational women’s singles and doubles.
Jim Lee won the 70 to 74 recreational men’s singles.
Letty Gimenes was runner-up in the 65 to 60 women’s competitive singles and placed third in doubles.
Khim Song was second in 70 to 74 rec women’s singles. Song also teamed up for bronze with Maggie Hsu in women’s doubles.
Susana Wong placed third in 55 to 59 women’s competitive singles. Wong also won a silver with Brenda Costa in doubles.
Veronica Sim won a gold in 60 to 64 competitive women’s doubles. Jeff Chin also earned gold in in the 55 to 59 competitive men’s doubles.
Ken Leong and Jen Lee were runners-up in their respective competitive doubles finals.
Stephen Leung and Tom Wong teamed for a bronze in 55 to 59 competitive men’s doubles. Ching Huang also took a third-place medal in men’s doubles. Huang and Elspeth Creith won bronze in rec mixed doubles.
In recreational doubles, Randy Gene and Kadota Yoshi won the 65 to 69 mixed. Gene and Kent Luk won silver in men’s. Vincent Chai took home a bronze in men’s.
Burnaby players also played their hands right at cards.
Elizabeth Christie won the 55-plus pairs final in whist. Carole Sekulich won Flight A, while Donna Anderson and Rose Bolam were the Flight B winners. Margaret Larsen and Robert Meredith of New West won bronze in Flight B.
In 55-plus duplicate bridge, Marina Page won gold in the 751 and over master points category. Kaye Turner and Wendy Thompson placed second in Flight B social bridge. Mary Bodnaruk and Shirley Almaas were runners-up and Jean Goulay and Margaret Govey placed third in Flight C.
Burnaby slo-pitch teams won three gold medals.
Jane Herndier shared first place with the 55 to 59 women’s Heat.
Bobbi Wallace, Pat Keeley, Jo-Ann Sheen, Sue Langdale and Ann MacLeod helped the 60-plus women’s Sparks to gold.
DoreneMontemurro, Bruce Keeley, Frank MacDougall, Michael McGhee and Helen Potrebenko with the 65-plus mixed Sluggers.
The Columbus 2 soccer team of Tony Guzzo, Ivan Spadari, Alan Sing, Terry Smith, Brian Richards, Frank Ciaccia, Zdenek Sychrava, Dario Longo, Carlo Alberti, Elnur Ladha and Greg Parsons shared a gold at 55-plus.
Bruce Cook, Dennis Aldridge and Phillip Layne helped Richmond United to a silver medal in the 65-plus division.
Barry O’Reagan won a pair of gold in archery, winning both 60 to 64 men’s recurve bow target and 3D events. Brien Gallagher won the men’s 75-plus compound bow target and was third in 3D.
On the tennis courts, Kellie Chui and Grace Wong took bronze in 60 to 64 women’s doubles.
Victor Keefer won a silver medal in 65-plus men’s darts doubles.
Bonnie Smith shared a bronze medal in 55-plus mixed lawn bowling triples.
In pickleball, Gitte Gerhard won gold in the 3.5 women’s singles.
Don Toffaletto and Ken Endo placed first in the 3.25 men’s doubles.
Peter Udovicic won a bronze in 4.0 men’s doubles.
