When Jay Yetman, standing just outside Alberta’s 24-yard line, took a pass from his Team Quebec teammate, it looked like just another routine phase of play. But with just over 30 seconds left in the first half of the Canada Summer Games bronze medal match, the McGill University student turned an ordinary reception into the game-winning score.
In an instant, Yetman shifted his focus to the in-goal area and exploded forward, hunting what would become his sixth try of the tournament. With Quebec leading 12–5, he was quickly met by an Alberta defender who leapt onto the back of the 20-year-old’s jersey — clinging on for several metres before falling away. The Glebe Collegiate graduate shrugged off one more would-be tackler before tumbling across the line, extending Quebec’s lead to 17–5 at the break. Alberta would score twice in the second half to close the gap to 17–15, but Yetman’s effort proved to be the bronze medal–winning try.
A natural fit for Rugby 7s, where the need for speed is paramount, Yetman began his career with the Ottawa Lions nearly a decade ago. He belongs to an exclusive club in Lions history — one of just 14 sprinters to have run sub-11 for 100m, sub-22 for 200m, and sub-50 for 400m.
Wednesday’s medal was the culmination of a tournament where speed, grit, and versatility collided. Yetman crossed the try line three times in a 31–7 win over Prince Edward Island, added another in a 36–5 victory over Nova Scotia, and scored once more in a 57–0 rout of Yukon. Quebec finished pool play 3–1, tied with host Newfoundland, then stormed past New Brunswick 48–12 in the quarterfinals before falling 24–12 to eventual gold medalists Ontario in the semis.
That Yetman was starring in a different uniform — and a different sport — might surprise those who know him only from the track. Just 10 days earlier, he was wearing Ottawa Lions colours at Terry Fox Athletic Facility, sprinting in the 100m and 200m at the Canadian Track and Field Championships. At McGill, he is a rare two-sport athlete, balancing the precision and explosiveness of sprinting with the chaos and contact of rugby.
In doing so, he follows unique footsteps. Yetman becomes the second Lions athlete in as many Canada Summer Games to compete outside of track and field, after Audrey Goddard represented Ontario in volleyball in 2022.