Luke Enns competed in kayak at his third Canada Games, having previously won 2 bronze medals and a silver this year, and competing in biathlon at the Canada Winter Games in 2023.
Luke Enns competed in kayak at his third Canada Games, having previously won 2 bronze medals and a silver this year, and competing in biathlon at the Canada Winter Games in 2023.
Winnipeg, Man.-Métis athlete Luke Enns has now competed in the Canada Games three times. The 19-year-old from Winnipeg won two medals in kayak at the 2022 Games and competed in biathlon at the 2023 Games, and was chosen as Team Manitoba's flag-bearer at the opening ceremony in the 2025 Canada Games, taking a silver medal in Men's 200m Kayaking.
And that's not all. Enns has represented Canada at the international level at the 2024 Sprint Canoe Junior World Championships and at the 2023 Olympic Hopefuls Regatta in Poland. He won gold in kayak singles at the 2022 Sprint Canoe Nationals, and was a multiple medallist at the 2023 North American Indigenous Games.
Luke only started kayaking five years ago. He was already involved in sports and was interested in cross-country skiing, but then he started looking for a new summertime activity and decided to try kayaking. As he built speed in paddling and got more involved in the sport, it became his passion.
Luke Enns competed in kayak at his third Canada Games, having previously won 2 bronze medals and a silver this year, and competing in biathlon at the Canada Winter Games in 2023.
"I like kayaking because it's a chance to put myself onto waterways that my ancestors have been through for years," he said to CBC News. "So, kayaking is special to me in that way."
Enns has taught paddling at Métis school groups, summer camps, and individual lessons. He has also mentored the younger paddlers on his teams. As a result, he was given the Tom Longboat Award in 2024, which recognizes Indigenous athletes who show leadership and community service. The Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council applauded his ability to "preserve and promote his Indigeneity while fostering connections to the land and water."
This Métis young man just may show up on the Olympic Games roster in the not-so-distant future, representing Canada. When Enns was chosen as flag-bearer for Team Manitoba, part of his responsibility was to give a speech. His message? That hard work and dedication pay off, which he found to be true at the Canada Games, even if you're not projected to be a winner.
"One thing [I've learned at the Canada Games] is just to keep pushing no matter what," Enns said to CBC reporters. "Even if you're in a position where you're not expected to do well or not expected to medal, there's always opportunities to medal or to do things that you didn't think were a possibility." y
