Uncharacteristically cold and blustery conditions swept across St. John’s during the 2025 Canada Summer Games. With temperatures rarely climbing above 12°C, gusting winds, and occasional rain showers, athletes had to contend with more than just their competitors on the track and in the field. But while the skies were grey, the Ottawa Lions still found plenty of silver linings — earning multiple podium finishes, highlighted by three medals of the silver variety, along with a gold and bronze.
For Connor Fraser, it was another step onto the national podium — his third straight silver medal. The Carleton University student launched the discus 47.97 metres to claim second place, continuing a remarkable streak of runner-up finishes. It was his third consecutive silver at a national-level championship, following back-to-back second-place showings at the Canadian Championships, including just three weeks earlier on home soil in Ottawa.
Fraser had to battle the tricky St. John’s winds, fouling four of his six throws. His fifth-round effort, though short of his 51.55m personal best, was enough to secure his spot behind Alberta’s Weezy Eze. Still, Fraser told Ottawa Sports Pages the Games were “by far my favourite track and field experience I’ve ever had.”
In the women’s shot put, Jessica Gyamfi capped her marathon season with perhaps her most memorable performance yet. Competing in her 26th meet of the year, she rose to the occasion under brutal headwinds, delivering one of the best throws of her career.
Living up to the often-shouted mantra of “last throw, best throw,” Gyamfi sent her sixth-round effort out to 13.22 metres to secure the bronze medal.
“It’s like, pray you can keep your form and push against the winds,” Gyamfi explained to Ottawa Sports Pages.
It was a fitting capstone to a long, demanding season, and her medal marked the first by a Lions woman in the Canada Games shot put since Caroline Larose and Sultana Frizell shared the top two podium spots in 2001.
On the track, Zachary Jeggo added to the Lions’ silver collection with a strong run in the men’s 400 metres. His 47.74-second effort put him just four tenths behind Quebec’s Mickael Allaire for gold. But his week didn’t end there.
The soon to be Simon Fraser University freshman later returned to the track as part of Team Ontario’s gold medal-winning 4×400-metre relay squad, extending the Lions’ proud tradition in the event and joining past winners Devin Biocchi (2013), Stuart Pearson (2009), and Tyler Fawcett (2009).
In his Canada Games debut, Liam Davis held his own against the country’s best throwers. He finished eighth in the men’s shot put with a toss of 14.48 metres, and placed sixth in the hammer throw with a personal-best 50.69 metres — a breakthrough in tough conditions.
