Local Representation at 2024 Olympic Summer Games

Lethbridge, Alberta: Eleven athletes, officials, coaches, and mission staff with a Lethbridge connection will represent Canada at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games beginning July 26, 2024. They are part of the Canadian Delegation, which includes 314 athletes. Approximately 10,500 athletes from more than 206 National Olympic Committees are expected to participate in the Games. The Olympic Summer Games will be held in Paris, France. Paris also hosted the 1900 and 1924 Games. The 1900 Summer Olympics were the second modern Olympics and the inaugural games hosted outside of Athens, Greece.

The Lethbridge representation in Paris includes:

• Micheal Barwegen - Soccer - Official
• Kacie Bosch - 3x3 Basketball - Athlete
• Paige Crozon - 3x3 Basketball - Athlete
• Christa Deguchi - Judo - Athlete
• Kelly Deguchi - Judo - Athlete
• Apollo Hess - Swimming - Athlete
• Sarah Orban - Track Cycling - Athlete
  
• Ryan Sommer - Mission Staff
• Lawrence Steinke - Athletics - Coach
• Mike Tamura - Judo - Sport Director
• Keyara Wardley - Rugby Sevens - Athlete

While Larry Steinke, Keyara Wardley, and Ryan Sommer are experienced Olympic representatives of Canada in their sixth, second, and second Games respectively, Apollo Hess, Paige Crozon, Kacie Bosch, Christa Deguchi, Kelly Deguchi, Sarah Orban, Mike Tamura, and Micheal Barwegen are making their Olympic debut.

"Watching our local athletes, coaches, and officials qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games fills me with immense pride," said Susan Eymann, Executive Director, Lethbridge Sport Council. "Their achievements highlight the diverse roles our community plays on the world stage, from competing and coaching to providing essential technical support. It reflects the strong sport culture of our region"

Mayor of the City of Lethbridge, Blaine Hyggen said, “On behalf of Lethbridge City Council, I want to congratulate all our local athletes, coaches and broadcast members who are off to the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. It’s always great to see Lethbridge represented on the world stage. And for a city of our size, the number of participants we have sent to the Olympics over the years is something to be very proud of. Best of luck to them all and Go Canada Go!”

Information regarding Team Canada at Paris 2024, including competition schedules, results and historic Canadian Olympic Games statistics can be found at olympic.ca/press.

Participant biographies

Micheal Barwegen - Soccer - Official

Micheal Barwegen, a mathematics teacher at Coalhurst High School, started refereeing soccer in Coaldale at the age of 12. He began to enjoy refereeing more than playing and advanced to officiate Alberta Major Soccer League and post-secondary games. In 2012, he joined Canada Soccer's list of national officials and began officiating professional games. By 2018, Barwegen was accepted onto the FIFA list of international officials taking assignments in the Concacaf Gold Cup, the Maurice Revello Tournament in France, the U17 World Cup in Brazil, and the FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar. Domestically, he serves as an MLS Assistant Referee, working across Canada and the US each weekend.

Kacie Bosch - 3x3 Basketball - Athlete

Kacie Bosch, born and raised in Lethbridge, excelled in high school basketball and continued her basketball career at Gonzaga University, helping the Bulldogs reach the NCAA Sweet Sixteen as a freshman in 2015. She moved back home to compete for the University of Lethbridge in 2016, spending four years with the Pronghorns. In 2023 she served as an assistant coach with the University of Lethbridge Pronghorn women’s basketball team. Since starting her 3×3 career in 2021, Bosch has been a key contributor to Canada’s international success as one of a team of four to make up Team Canada in 3×3 women’s basketball, two-time International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Women’s Series champions

Paige Crozon - 3x3 Basketball - Athlete

Paige Crozon moved to Lethbridge from Humbolt Saskatchewan in 2020 to join the University of Lethbridge Pronghorn women’s basketball team as lead assistant coach. As an athlete Crozon represented Canada at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, 2017 FISU Games, U17 Cadet and U19 Junior World Championships, and played NCAA for the University of Utah and in the German Women’s Professional Basketball League. Crozon made the move to Team Canada’s 3×3 women’s basketball in 2019 and is part of the four member team that is back to back International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Women’s Series champions in 2022 and 2023

Christa Deguchi - Judo - Athlete

Christa Deguchi is a Japanese-born Canadian who switched to represent Canada in 2017 as a member of the Lethbridge Kyodokan Judo Club. Deguchi quickly became a standout in Canadian judo, earning a bronze medal at the 2018 World Judo Championships and becoming world champion in 2019, a first for any female judoka representing Canada. Her success continued with gold medals at the 2021 Judo Grand Slam Antalya, 2022 Commonwealth Games, and 2023 IJF World Championships.

Kelly Deguchi - Judo - Athlete

Kelly Deguchi is a Japanese-born Canadian who moved to Canada in 2018 to represent Canada as a member of the Lethbridge Kyodokan Judo Club. In her first competition, Deguchi won the 2019 Canadian Open Championships. Deguchi went on to earn her first international title at the 2023 Sofia Euorpean Open.

Apollo Hess - Swimming - Athlete

As a youth, Apollo Hess Mootoyaohkii (Ocean Boy) was a multisport athlete in Lethbridge before dedicating himself to swimming at age 13. While competing for the University of Lethbridge, Hess won five medals at the 2022 U Sports Championships making him the Pronghorns’ first medallist at the U Sports championships since 2005, and was named the U Sports Rookie of the Year. He went on to win gold at the 2022 Swimming Canada Championships in the 50M breaststroke. Hess is the first Kainai athlete and the first Indigenous swimmer to represent Canada at the Olympics.

Sarah Orban - Track Cycling - Athlete

Sarah Orban moved to Lethbridge in 2013 and played soccer for the Lethbridge College Kodiaks and the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns as well as competing for the Pronghorn Athletics as a sprinter. In 2017 she won the RBC Training Ground which gave her exposure to five Olympic sports ultimately choosing track cycling. Her career highlights include representing Canada at the 2020 World Championships, winning a team sprint gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, a team sprint silver at the 2023 Pan American Championships, and a team sprint bronze at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.

Ryan Sommer - Mission Staff

Ryan Sommer, a 2016 University of Lethbridge graduate and Pronghorn athletics alumni made his Olympic debut at Beijing 2022 winning bronze in the four-man event as a crewman for pilot Justin Kripps along with Cam Stones and Ben Coakwell. Sommer represented Team British Columbia at the 2013 Canada Summer Games. As a member of the Pronghorn athletics team, he was two-time CanWest shot put silver medalist.

Lawrence Steinke - Athletics - Coach

A highly successful athlete in his own right, Lawrence Steinke has found even greater success as a coach. The Paris Olympic Games will be Steinke’s fifth consecutive Games named to the Canadian national team’s coaching staff. On top of his already significant Olympic resume, which spans well over the last decade, Steinke continues to be the head coach of the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns track and field team and is well-recognized as one of the most prominent coaches in the sport of athletics in the country.

Mike Tamura - Judo - Sport Director

Mike Tamura, a 6th degree black belt, is the President of Judo Canada, General-Secretary of the Pan American Judo Confederation, Director - Coordination Committee and Sport Director of the International Judo Federation. He is past president of the Lethbridge Kyodokan Judo Club and Judo Alberta, and a NCCP Certified Level 3 Coach, and International A Referee. As a member of the Lethbridge Judo Club since 1973 and training under Sensei Yosh Senda he was a National Junior Champion and competed Internationally.

Keyara Wardley - Rugby - Athlete

Growing up in nearby Vulcan AB, Wardley played on a Deep South Lethbridge ARC team in high school. Now the Alberta native is heading to her second Olympic Games, having also been part of Team Canada in Tokyo where they placed 9th. Keyara participated in the Youth Olympic Games in 2018 and the Youth Commonwealth Games in 2017, earning bronze and silver medals respectively.