It was a podium moment for former Prince Albert Mintos captain Kyrell Sopotyk.

Sopotyk won a bronze medal for Team Saskatchewan at the 2022 Canada Summer Games in the 1500m male wheelchair athletics event.
“It’s super exciting, obviously,” Sopotyk says. “You’re out there against great competitors, so being able to get on the podium, it’s a great feeling.”

Sopotyk was left paralyzed after a snowboarding accident in January 2021. He says it was a goal of his to get into a competitive environment after his injury.

“I think pretty much as soon as I had my injury. I was an athletic guy before, there’s always a drive to get back in some sort of sport, I didn’t know what. Seeing wheelchair racing was always an interest so being able to get out and try it and be here is awesome”
Prior to the injury, Sopotyk had appeared in parts of two seasons with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League allotting 45 points in 107 games.

Sopotyk says the experience of picking up a brand-new sport after the injury has been worthwhile.

“It’s super rewarding. When you go into a new sport, it’s your goal to be at the top. You push yourself to be the best. Coming out on top, it’s super rewarding to see the work you put in and it paying off.”

Sopotyk’s good attitude and work ethic has see him come a long way in a very short period of time. His coach, Jen Wood says Sopotyk is a tremendous athlete.

“He has been training for 10 months. His first outdoor competition was in May. He attended Nationals in June. He is an incredible athlete to coach. He brings an amazing work ethic and desire to learn more each time he trains. We couldn’t be more proud of him and how hard he works and how far he has come in such a short period of time.”

Sopotyk will appear in the 100m final on Friday and the 400m final on Saturday. The 2022 Canada Summer Games are taking place in Niagara, Ontario.