Thursday brought a new sport into the medal count, another undefeated day on the pitch, and no shortage of moments that reminded everyone in Medicine Hat why these Games are about so much more than the scoreboard. By day's end, Team Ontario stood at 56 gold, 45 silver, and 43 bronze — 144 medals in total, per the official GEMS medal standings.
Powerlifting Makes Its Mark
Powerlifting competed for the first and only time today, and Team Ontario's lifters made it count. Josee Seguin put up her heaviest squat since provincials back in 2024 — and then went on to top the podium in bench press, deadlift, and squat in her weight class. Jasmyn Kersey hit a personal best in the deadlift at 150kg, then came back and pulled 152.5kg and made it look easy.
Michael Bandler closed out the day as the final lifter on the platform. With the whole room watching, he stepped up for his last deadlift and pulled 232.5kg (511lbs) — the top lift in his group. Combined with a 215.0kg squat (gold) and a 132.5kg bench press (silver) earlier in the day, his three-lift total came to 580kg, the most weight lifted by anyone in the entire competition, across every chapter and every weight class. It capped off a day where Team Ontario's lifters didn't just compete well — they set the bar for everyone else in the building.
Undefeated on the Pitch
Soccer had a near-perfect day — every Ontario team but one won its match, and that one finished tied. Thunder Bay's squad delivered the moment of the day, tying their game right at the buzzer after playing their hearts out. Add in another round of rain-soaked sportsmanship and tight teamwork across the board, and it was a day Ontario's soccer program can be proud of from start to finish.
Team Ontario, All In
One of the best parts of Thursday had nothing to do with results. Athletes from sports that had finished competing for the day were showing up to cheer on teammates in other sports — some in person, some crowded around a tv watching the livestream. It's a small thing, but it's where a group of individual athletes and teams really becomes one team.
That spirit showed up in quieter ways too. At the golf course, mission staff member Kyle watched his golfer stop and offer his own lunch to volunteers sitting along the fairway — thanking them for being there, then asking if they'd like his sandwich or his goldfish crackers. And across town, mission staff member Dan Banks noted how the whole town has embraced Team Ontario's athletes like celebrities — horn honks, high-fives, and strangers stopping to welcome them wherever they go. One mission staff member, only halfway through an afternoon walk, was offered a ride three separate times by Medicine Hat locals who recognized the Team Ontario jacket.
Thank You, Medicine Hat
The swim team spent part of Thursday preparing thank-you cards to leave around the hotel — a way of telling the volunteers and staff who've supported them all week just how much it's meant. It's a fitting gesture from a team that's had one of the best weeks of anyone here: after two of three days of swimming competition, every single athlete on Team Ontario's swim team has won at least one medal, and plenty have won several.
Looking Ahead
Friday is shaping up to be one of the biggest days of the week: Golf's medal-deciding Round 3, more Rhythmic Gymnastics apparatus finals, Tenpin's Singles medal division play, and gold medal games in Softball for two of Team Ontario's three divisions. Basketball and Soccer both move into their bronze-medal rounds as well. Let's go, Team Ontario!