First Nations represented well in the Olympics

OTTAWA, Ont.-During the February 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Indigenous youth from Canada were well represented by these athletes:

Spencer O'Brien

One of the world's most skilled snowboarders, Spencer learned how to snowboard from her dad and sister when she was 11 years old. At 15, she started slopestyling and finished 12th in women's slopestyle at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and won the gold medal at the 2013 FIS Snowboarding World Championships, as well as five medals at the Winter X Games.

Spencer's grandmother is from the Kwakwaka'wakw First Nation. Spencer has donated equipment to the First Nations Snowboard Team and promotes health and wellness in Indigenous communities.

Jesse Cockney

An Inuvialuk from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Jesse comes from a skiing family. He started skiing at three and made his debut in the 2014 Olympics, competing in the men's Mass Start 50km, Sprint and Relay 4x10km, where he placed 12th. He won three gold medals at the 2011 Canada Winter Games and finished sixth in the classic sprint at the 2011 FIS World Under-23 Championships. Cockney made his FIS World Championship debut in 2015 and was a member of the world team in 2017. As an Inuit, Cockney aims to be a positive role model for all youth of aboriginal heritage.

Carey Price

Carey is one of the best goaltenders in the NHL and plays for the Montreal Canadiens. He was raised in Anahim Lake, B.C., where his mother was a chief in the Ulkatcho First Nations. During the winter months, his father taught him how to play hockey on a frozen creek. He played for Team Canada as they captured the gold in Sochi in 2014.

Brigette Lacquette

Brigette Lacquette is the first Indigenous hockey player to be selected to Canada's Olympic team. The 25-year-old Métis woman was selected from more than 250 young female hockey players.

She began to play hockey at age five and looked up to Jordin Tutu as he was the first person of Inuit descent to be drafted by an NHL team. Brigette grew up in Mallard, Man., a small community of about 150 people, four hours northwest of Winnipeg.

Rene Bourque

Rene Bourque is a Métis, right-wing hockey player. He has also played in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets and the Colorado Avalanche.

He grew up in Lac La Biche, a small town in northern Alberta, and has a reputation for giving back by donating over 100 sets of hockey equipment and free NHL tickets to low-income First Nations kids.

Kevin Koe

Kevin Koe is a three-time Canadian champion and a two-time world champion on the Canadian National curling team. He comes from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and is a member of the Gwi'chin First Nation in the Northwest Territories.