For her athletic excellence, leadership, and perseverance at the St. John’s 2025 Canada Games, Maëlle Sanborn from Team British Columbia has been named a winner of the 2025 Roland Michener Award.

Former winners of the award include hockey great Sidney Crosby, who competed at the Canada Games for Team Nova Scotia in 2003. With that in mind, Maëlle said it was an incredible honour to receive this year’s Roland Michener Award.

“Being given the same award as an Olympic Champion makes me feel confident that the steps I have been taking towards my future are ones in the right direction,” she said. “I find it so amazing that all the hard work and dedication I have put into my sport is being recognized.”

Maëlle left the St. John’s 2025 Canada Games with five gold medals, claiming three individual breaststroke medals at 50m, 100m, and 200m, in addition to winning with her teammates in the 4x100m medley and 4x100m freestyle relays.

Across all of her events, Maëlle hit new personal bests, and in the 50m breaststroke, she also etched her name into Canada Games history en route to claiming her first gold medal in St. John’s in unforgettable fashion.

“I was confident that if I had a good race and executed it well, then there would be a good chance to win a gold medal,” she said. “It was especially exciting to get my hands on the wall first and set a new Canada Games Record.”

Maëlle’s aspirations continue to grow in the wake of the Games, as well. She is already looking forward to competitions in 2026 and beyond.

“My main goal for this season is to keep improving so that I can potentially compete at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships this summer,”Maëlle said. “My main goal for the future is to be able to compete for Team Canada on an international stage. I think it would be such a fulfilling experience to represent my country.”

She hopes to follow the path of other Canada Games Alumni who have been contributing to Swimming Canada’s success at the senior level in recent years, including Kylie Masse, Mary-Sophie Harvey and Julie Brousseau.

Reflecting on her experience this past summer, Maëlle noted the friendly and inclusive nature of the local athletes and coaches, and wanted to ensure her teammates also got the recognition they deserve.

“The St. John’s 2025 Canada Games was such an amazing racing environment, and I have everyone on Team BC to thank for my success,” Maëlle said. “I’ll never forget being able to compete at the 2025 Canada Games and will be forever grateful to have gotten this wonderful opportunity.”