ST JOHN'S - The curtain came down on the 2025 Canada Games to a standing ovation on Sunday, as St. John's threw a going away party and gave itself a pat on the back for providing a glorious and welcoming stage on which over 4,000 athletes chasing golden dreams performed.

   These were a Games that got off to a record smashing start, with Team Ontario's Isabella Cooper setting a new Canada Games mark in the 1,500 metre freestyle on Day One, and ended Sunday on a historic note with Ontario taming Alberta to claim the first gold in women's baseball.

   In-between there were two action packed weeks filled with inspirational efforts none more stirring than Gavin Baggs, the toast of Newfoundland and Labrador after winning four of the host's six total medals, including the province's only gold.

   Baggs will be remembered for producing one of the Canada Games all-time great performances and for his grace under pressure, delivering when it counted in front of the home crowd.

   Along with his gold in the 1,500m wheelchair the 18-year-old two-sport sensation scored a silver medal hat-trick taking second in the 400m freestyle para-swimming for the host's first medal then the 100m and 400m wheelchair events.

   "I came into these Games with the goal of winning one medal, but I've exceeded my own expectations," said Baggs, who was handed the honour of closing ceremony flag bearer leading his team into a packed Mary Brown's Centre to a thundering cheers.

   Bagg's results were also an acknowledgement of his perseverance and determination with the 2025 Canada Games his fourth attempt at trying to secure an elusive medal.

   While Baggs journey to the podium was a years long quest Quebec para-cycling's Joseph Vachon's took just weeks but is no less inspirational.

   Vachon announced his arrival with a gold medal in the para cycle time trial then followed up with a dominating win in the road race .

   Just two months earlier Vachon had never heard of para cycling but a chance meeting at the Ottawa marathon sparked interest in a lost young athlete searching for possibilities after a work accident two years ago had left him paralysed.

   Cycling, Vachon said, has given him new purpose and a goal but dreams are for other things.

   "The paralympics, it's not like a dream but it's a good goal," said Vachon. "A dream for me would be to walk again."

   For two weeks St. John's was awed by such spirit and was witness to the power of sport.

   Its power to inspire. The power to bring a community together, 5,000 volunteering for the two week multi-sport showcase.

    "We have shared moments that will stay with us forever," Catriona Le May Doan, a double Olympic champion speed skater and chair of the Canada Games Council board of directors told the athletes during the closing ceremonies. "You've shown us what it means to come together from coast, to coast, to coast as one Canada.

   “You have truly inspired us with every race, every goal, every finish line you have crossed and you have reminded us why sport matters.

   "I want to thank you athletes for you courage, you're passion and the unforgettable moments you have given us.

   "You have made us proud."

    Pierre de Coubertin founder of the modern Olympic Movement wrote; "The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle; the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well".

   This message is a cornerstone of the Olympic Movement but had no less meaning to the Canada Games and maybe even more.

   The Canada Games have been a launch pad for many Canadian sport greats from Sidney Crosby to Andre de Grasse and while we do not yet know their names many who competed in St. John's will earn the right to one day have the Olympic rings tattooed on them.

   For others, what they achieved in St. John's will be the pinnacle of their athletic careers.

   The final medal table reflects the David and Goliath nature of the Canada Games.

   The two provincial powerhouses Ontario and Quebec waged a seesaw battle at the top from the start until Sunday's finish, which could not have been closer.

   In the end both Ontario and Quebec scooped 63 gold, Ontario claiming top spot on the total medal count by the slimmest of margins 175 to 173.

   British Columbia finished third on 116 total medals and Alberta fourth with 81.

   Newfoundland and Labrador, thanks to Baggs's remarkable contribution, settled in at ninth.

   At the bottom of table, the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut return home with great memories and pins but no medals.

   The fighting spirit and fire to compete burned as bright in athletes from the territories as any other but no amount of will power can overcome a lack of equipment and training.

   The Nunavut beach volleyball duo of Benjamin Alivaktuk and Mathieu Baillargeon had never played together or competed on sand before coming to St. John's but can claim victory by just being there, explained their coach.

   "We've talked about that," said Rob Tomyn, who managed the men's beach volleyball team and worked with the indoor squads. "Nunavut with about 40,000 people competing against the big provinces is just not a very level playing field in some ways.

   "But we can level it out by trying our hardest and working hard and being positive and maximum effort at all times which we have been doing

    "Those are the wins we are looking for."