NICE, France (GNB) -- Samantha Stewart, of Fredericton, won a silver medal in -55 kg in wrestling, Sunday, at the VII Jeux de la Francophonie being held in Nice, France.
Stewart lost in the first half of the match to Tatiana Debien of France by a 7-0 score with 22 seconds left in the first 3 minute half. Morgan St-Laurent, -66 kg (Fredericton), was eliminated in the first half after 43 seconds (7- 0) against a wrestler from Roumania while his brother Grayson St-Laurent, -84kg (Fredericton), lost (8-0) in the first half also. Stewart easily won her first quarter final match by a 7-0 score against Kanga Éléonore of the Côte d'Ivoire and went the distance against Canadian Brianne Barry in semi-final action (5-1) in six minutes.
''It feels great to have won the silver medal, although I would have preferred the gold,'' said Stewart. ''My hardest match was in the semi-final against Barry because we know each other and we have wrestled against one another many times. It was a real battle. I am happy wrestling will get back in the Olympics in 2020 and my next goal is to qualify for them. I will continue training. I am happy to have won a first ever wrestling medal for Team Canada-New Brunswick.''
Coach Don Ryan added, ''I am very happy with this medal because Stewart trained hard and had lost to Barry at the Canadian championships this year. I was also at the games in Paris in 1994 and I hope we will be able to win a few more medals with four more wrestlers this week.''
Photographer Jaret Belliveau (Memramcook) and painter Sarah Jones (Saint John) spent Saturday morning at the official launch of the paint and photography exhibitions at l'Acropolis.
''This is fantastic to see my painting hanging on the wall here,'' said Jones. ''I sent it a few months ago and it was nice to see it here. I look forward to the workshops this week. My inspiration and the concept for my work comes from the urban and industrial landscaping of my blue collar city.''
Belliveau met the jury members Sunday morning to explain the meaning behind his four paintings.
''It is interesting to participate in a competition with medals and ceremonies,'' said Belliveau. ''I am excited and enjoying the experience with people from across the francophonie and also representing my province. I chose these four photos because they tell a story; they offer a glimpse of the environment and the people from the area. The first depicts a mysterious area with clouds, the second is my grandfather washing the dishes, the third is my grandmother in a room and the fourth is the Belliveau Road where they lived.''
Monday's Team Canada-New Brunswick Schedule
Wrestling
● Brittany Dillman -59 kg (Fredericton)
● Tom MaCrae -96 kg (Fredericton)
Story Telling
● Kevin Arseneau (Cocagne)
Note: the Games are broadcast on the web and on the francophone network TV5.
