Nunavut speedskater was winning – until a medical condition got in the way

Nunavut’s Méliya Allain was in the lead over her Yukon, Alaska and Alberta competitors and the speedskating final was nearly over Thursday at the Arctic Winter Games.

Nunavut speedskater Méliya Allain speaks after the 777-metre track finals in the Canada Games Centre on Thursday at the Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)

Then suddenly, the two-time silver medallist felt lightheaded.

“I fell over, and that kind of shook me up,” said Allain, 17, of Iqaluit.

She has postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, a condition that causes her heart rate and blood pressure to increase, sometimes making her faint.

Allain was able to get back up and continue on the 777-metre track. She finished last but was still satisfied with her performance in the under-19 individual event.

“I’m surprised I actually made it to the end,” she said, after spending some time with the medical team. “I think that’s one of the moments I’m most proud of.”

Allain is still getting used to her condition after being diagnosed a year ago. She doesn’t want it to impact her ability to participate in the sport she loves.

“Medical conditions like this are more common than people think. So I think it’s important to talk about it, just so that people don’t feel alone,” she said.

Allain already won silver medals in the 1,000-metre race Monday and 500-metre race Tuesday.

“I’m very proud to be able to come out here and skate well and get a couple of medals for my territory,” she said.

Nunavut speedskater Eliyah Laird also won a silver medal in the 400-metre under-15 male category, and Gregor Paterson earned a bronze in the 500-metre under-19 male category. Both are from Iqaluit.

“I feel very lucky to get a chance to come here and do the sport I love,” Paterson said.

As of Friday morning, Nunavut is in sixth place among eight regions with 27 medals including four gold, 13 silver and 10 bronze. Nunavik is in eighth place with one gold medal, four silvers and three bronze medals. Alaska leads with 172 medals, including 58 golds.

The Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse opened Sunday and run until Saturday.

They brought together approximately 2,000 athletes from eight circumpolar regions Nunavut, Nunavik, Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, northern Alberta, Greenland and the Sápmi region of Scandinavia.