Salt Spring Island’s Druehn Pinney finished his Stingrays swimming season with a provincial gold medal win.
Pinney, 15, was the fastest in his age category in the 100-metre backstroke at the B.C. Summer Swimming Association meet held Aug. 18-20 in Nanaimo.
Twenty youth swimmers from the Salt Spring Stingrays team qualified to attend the provincial meet this year — a remarkable number for a small island, according to club president Shelly Johnson, who applauded the “courage and determination” it takes for athletes to compete at that level.
“We are so proud of our athletes’ accomplishments,” said Johnson. “Not only are these swimmers strong and fast, they are also respectful, courteous and fun-loving. Our team is known for its spirit — and friendliness.”
Other Stingrays achieved medals — three in total — and several top ten finishes, according to coach Zoey Johnson.
“We ended the season off strong,” said coach Johnson. “It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know all the new swimmers on the team this year, working again with our returning athletes and building a strong, competitive and determined team this season.”
The 2023 Stingrays Provincial team included Jasper Beerends-Meisner, Ruben Beerends-Meisner, Arthur Cabello Maclean, Grace Cole, Clara Dickieson, William Harder, India Hayden, Pasley Hayden, Zoey Johnson, Mikayla Langdon, Indigo Marshall, Keegan Otsubo-Papp, Aiden Otsubo-Papp, James Penner, Kiren Pillay, Druehn Pinney, Zoe Sanchez-Wickland, Sashi Sanchez-Wickland, Elyse Walsh and Matthias Woodley.