麻豆社区

A wide smile spread across Jessica Frotten's face as she rolled into the arrivals lounge at the Whitehorse airport yesterday afternoon.

There to greet the newly-minted bronze medallist was a large crowd of Yukon flag-waving supporters, including a CBC camera crew and Premier Darrell Pasloski.

Someone handed the 麻豆社区25-year-old wheelchair athlete a bouquet of flowers, before she was mobbed by hugs from family members and friends.

Last week, Frotten won bronze medals in each of her three events at the Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que.

Officially, she won bronze in the 200-metre, 400-metre and 1,500-metre wheelchair sprints, finishing third each time behind long-time wheelchair racers Sarah White of Quebec, and Veronica Coombes of New Brunswick.

While the five-foot-six, 100-pound Frotten was officially competing for Team Saskatchewan, the medals were also the only ones won by a Yukon athlete. The Whitehorse native began training to race this year in Regina, where she is currently receiving treatment at the First Steps Wellness Centre in hopes to one day walk again.

Frotten was paralyzed in a car crash in 2009.

After burning up the track at the Canada Games, Frotten remained humble about her multiple medal wins yesterday.

"I didn't expect to get any medals out there,鈥� Frotten told reporters yesterday. "I've been training really hard, but the competition is pretty high level, so to compete out there was amazing for me.

"It's a huge deal. They get the podium out, and the important people put the medals around your neck. It was a whole big deal.鈥�

She admitted she had trouble finding where her races were, let alone worrying about winning medals.

"I didn't even know where to go for the races. I went in the wrong tent, so yeah 鈥� to get herded out to get my medals, it was amazing.鈥�

And while her three bronze medals helped the province of Saskatchewan to a sixth-place finish with 51 total medals, Frotten said in her heart, she was representing her home territory.

"The whole way,鈥� she said of her three races, where Team Yukon was out in full force. "They were all out there cheering me on 鈥� A sea of purple.鈥�

Andria Pedlar was one of the flag-waving family members waiting to greet Frotten at the airport. She teared up when asked about her younger sister's performances on the track in Sherbrooke.

"You know, Jessie's the champion of making lemonade,鈥� Pedlar told the Star. "Life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Jessie is the queen of lemonade.

"I'm so proud, I don't even have words. I just have a big lump in my throat 鈥� and joy.鈥�

Megan Frotten, Jessica's younger sister, agreed.

"We're all super proud 鈥� really shocked almost, that she's come so far,鈥� she said. "And we're just amazed. She's really amazing. She's got an awesome mindset in every aspect of her life, not just this, which has helped her come a long way.鈥�

And that's exactly why her sister will one day represent Canada at the Olympics, Megan Frotten said.

"With that attitude, she can do pretty much anything she wants in life,鈥� she said.

Jessica Frotten blazed onto the wheelchair racing scene in May, when she won five gold medals at a meet in Victoria,

B.C.

She won every race she entered, ranging in distance from 100 to 1,500 metres.

Now after getting a taste of winning on the national stage, Frotten has once again set her sights on her next dream 鈥� the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

"I want to go to the Olympics,鈥� she said. "That's my goal. I'm just going to do that. Next year, I'll compete at nationals and then hopefully get out to worlds, and maybe do a couple of international races.鈥�

Following the surprise welcome, Frotten was happy to step back from the spotlight and celebrate with her family.

"Time for a little R and R,鈥� she said.