PHOTOS: Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows athletes leap and wheel their way to BC Winter Games medals

Several Maple Ridge athletes returned from Vernon last weekend with hard-earned medals after competing in the Greater Vernon 2022 BC Winter Games.

Held from March 23 to 26, the winter games included competitions in alpine skiing, archery, artistic gymnastics, badminton, biathlon, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, judo, karate, rhythmic gymnastics, ringette, snowboarding, and wheelchair basketball.

PHOTOS: Athletes dazzle on Day 2 of B.C. Winter Games in Greater Vernon

Maple Ridge athletes brought home one gold medal and four silver medals, with Pitt Meadows also bringing back a silver medal of its own.

Maria Zinchenko was by far the best-performing athlete for Maple Ridge, winning three medals in rhythmic gymnastics.

She competed in four categories – western stream individual free, western stream individual ball, western stream individual choice, and western stream all around – picking up silver medals in every event except for individual free, where she placed fifth.

Niquita Fortich-Balatbat also brought home a gymnastics medal, but instead competed in artistic gymnastics, getting second place in the uneven bars CCP 7 - women event.

In the team events, Maple Ridge shone even brighter, with Greg Smart helping his team win first place in wheelchair basketball.

Finishing just behind them in second place was Brandon Twaites from Pitt Meadows and the rest of his team, giving the City of Pitt Meadows its only medal of the competition.

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Here is a full list of where the local athletes finished in the Greater Vernon 2022 BC Winter Games:

Maple Ridge

• Gavin Navarro – badminton (7th/4th)

• Airi Cowie – badminton (5th/4th)

• Sahar Ahmadi – badminton (11th/4th)

• Nishtha Arora – badminton (12th/4th)

• Aiva Turner – artistic gymnastics (6th/4th)

• Niquita Fortich-Balatbat – artistic gymnastics (2nd/4th)

• Nyla Brant – archery (7th)

• Maria Zinchenko – rhythmic gymnastics (5th/2nd/2nd/2nd)

• Elijah Brent Dela Paz – snowboarding (8th/19th)

• Juli Andrews – curling female (5th)

• Farrah Peckham-McNally – curling female (5th)

• Emma Garcia – curling female (5th)

• Blaire Turner – curling female (5th)

• Mike Wiseman – curling male (8th)

• Joey Meunier – curling male (8th)

• Jayden Neufeld – curling male (8th)

• Harry Midgley – curling male (8th)

• Lynden Fox – ringette (4th)

• Eliza Portugal – ringette (4th)

• Charlyse Robinson – ringette (4th)

• Amity Solvey – ringette (4th)

• Greg Smart – wheelchair basketball (1st)

Pitt Meadows

• Nicole Estay – figure skating (14th)

• Ellie Rilcoff – curling female (5th)

• Brandon Twaites – wheelchair basketball (2nd)