College Olympians

We are extremely proud to celebrate Kinesiology graduates and former students who will be competing in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. As a college that encourages excellence in sport and in the classroom, it is thrilling to have several alumni amongst the elite athletes at this years' games. The following list is taken from a recent feature on the U of S news site that includes profiles of several Huskie athletes, and women's basketball head coach, Lisa Thomaidis. We wish great success to all of the athletes, coaches and support people with a Kinesiology or University of Saskatchewan connection.

College of Kinesiology Olympians at the 2016 Summer Games:

  • Jillian Gallays
    Originally from nearby St. Brieux before moving to Saskatoon, the 29-year-old Gallays qualified for her first Olympics by winning a Pan American title in March after overcoming a serious knee injury in 2015. Gallays, who was diagnosed with dyslexia as a youngster, competed for the Huskie wrestling team and won two CIS national championships while earning her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. A six-time national champion, Gallays has previously competed in a Commonwealth Games and two world championships, winning bronze at both the Commonwealth Games and the worlds in 2014. She is scheduled to compete on Aug. 18 in the 53-kilogram weight class at the Olympics.

  • Erica Gavel

    A former member of the Huskie women’s basketball team from 2009-2012, Gavel’s career was cut short when she suffered her third serious knee injury in three years. The Prince Albert product picked up the sport again when she tried wheelchair basketball in 2012, earning a scholarship to the University of Alabama and going on to make Canada’s senior women’s wheelchair basketball team in 2014. The 25-year-old Gavel, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology in 2012 at the U of S, was officially named to our Paralympic team in March. Gavel and the Canadian team hit the court for the first time on Sept. 8.

  • Taryn Suttie
    The 25-year-old from Hanley, Sask., will compete in shot put for Canada in her first Olympic Games. Suttie, who had a record-setting CIS career with the U of S Huskies, was officially named to the track and field team earlier this month after the Canadian championships in Edmonton. She qualified for the Olympics in April with a personal best throw of 17.88 metres. Suttie, who studied kinesiology at U of S, was a double gold medallist at the 2011 CIS track and field championships and finished 10th in shot put at her first Pan Am Games in Toronto in 2015. She is scheduled to compete in her event in Rio on Aug. 12.