SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Kristen Arsenault of Abram-Village has delivered P.E.I.’s second medal at the 2019 Canada Winter Games.
The 16-year-old Grade 11 student at Evangeline School won silver in compound archery Thursday. It is P.E.I.’s first-ever Canada Games medal in archery.
“It feels incredible knowing I’m the second one from P.E.I.,” said Arsenault from Red Deer, Alta. “I’m so proud to be an Islander right now.”
Team P.E.I.’s Mikey Perry won bronze in judo Tuesday.
Arsenault dropped a close decision in the gold-medal match. Quebec’s Marie Angela Lynn Alexandra Paquette registered a score of 145 out of 150, and Arsenault’s total was 138 in the five-round contest.
“I was really hyped for it,” said Arsenault referring to the gold-medal match. ”I shot some really strong shots, and am really happy.”
Arsenault said one of the many reasons she will cherish her Canada Games experience is that she had the opportunity to experience it with her parents. Dad Kevin is her coach and her mother, Michelle, is team manager.
“We were more nervous than she was, I think,” offered Kevin. “She has been working hard the last number of years. She attended the last Canada (Winter) Games when she was 12 (in 2015), and she said after she left there, ‘I’m going back, and I’m not done with this yet.’
“She’s put in a lot of work, and we’ve travelled the world with her. It’s been quite the journey.”
Arsenault is in her fifth year of competing in archery, which requires a lot of focus.
“There are different rings, the smallest one is a 10 and it goes right to six and that’s how you score,” explained Arsenault. “Most rounds are out of 600, but you can have some that is out of 300 or if you do matches like I did it’s out of 150.”
Arsenault set a personal-best score of 573 out of 600 last year. Her best score this week was 569.
She is the first Islander to win a silver medal at a Winter Games since 2003 when Alicia Wilbert, Mitzi Mitchell and Tyler Marchbank all finished second in judo in Bathurst/Campbellton, N.B. Boxing’s Robert MacMillan and Special Olympics figure skating Alyssa Chapman were the last Islanders to win gold at the Winter Games, accomplishing the feat in 2011 in Halifax.
[email protected]
Twitter.com/JpsportsJason
https://www.facebook.com/jason.simmonds.180
