Bergen, Shomachuk bring home gold from Summer Games

By Lethbridge Herald on August 26, 2025.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Jinaye Shomachuk (middle) celebrates winning gold in Women’s Hammer at the Canada Summer Games.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

Two athletes representing the local area had success in their respective sports at the Canada Summer Games in St. John’s, N.L. and as a result came home with gold medals.

Picture Butte’s Corny Bergen won gold with Team Alberta’s men’s volleyball team after they swept Manitoba in three sets in Sunday’s  gold medal game.

“I had the chance to start, and I really helped the team, I think, and the team did well, and it was a very awesome experience to be there and win gold at Canada Games,” said Bergen.

Bergen described the last play of the game before Alberta won the gold medal.

“There was a little bit of a rally going on and then we got (a) block to end the game, and everybody just stormed the court there and it was pretty exhilarating,” said Bergen.

 A strong culture was Alberta’s main strength in the tournament.

“We really built that throughout the time we trained and just that connection we had …  and just the family we created with the team,” said Bergen.

Alberta men’s volleyball finished with a 5-1 record.

Jinaye Shomachuk, who  competes on the University of Lethbridge’s track and field team, brought back two medals including gold in the Women’s Hammer, where she threw 58.8 metres.

She battled through a rainy, cold, day to win the gold medal last Tuesday.

“It’s a little bit of a physical approach to it (and) altering the technique a little bit,” said Shomachuk, on how she battled the elements.

“I definitely slowed things down a lot, arguably maybe too much, but even mentally its trying to not let those conditions sort of psyche you out too much.”

Shomachuk was surprised to have won silver in discus, where she threw 46.81 metres, on Saturday.

“I hadn’t picked up a discus in over a month and I ended up throwing a personal best by two-and-a-half metres,” she said.

Shomachuk also finished 16th in shot put.

Other local results include Kimoya Edwards winning silver in the 100-metre hurdle, Beckett Davis taking home silver in Men’s Box Lacrosse, Raymond wrestler Jessica Froese won Bronze and U of L track and field athlete, Lauchlan Irish, won silver in the men’s triple jump while representing Team B.C.