7 Manitoba athletes to compete for Olympic gold in Pyeongchang

There's less than two weeks to go as seven athletes from Manitoba lace up in their quest for Olympic gold.

Five hockey players, one speedskater and one curler from Manitoba will head to Pyeongchang, South Korea, for the 2018 Winter Games. The group includes two repeat Olympians hoping for a second gold medal.

Bailey Bram, Ste. Anne

The 27-year-old forward has been playing hockey since she was three, following her siblings into the sport. Bram was one of the last to be cut from the national teamright before the Olympic Games inSochi, Russia, in 2014.She told CBClate last year that sheused that disappointment as fuel to propel her further, determined to make it to the 2018 games. She continued to play for the Canadian national women's hockey team, winning three silvers in the past three world championships.

Brigette Lacquette, Mallard

The first Indigenous woman to play on the Olympic women's hockey team says she is honoured to represent her nation. The 25-year-old defencemancredits her father for getting her interested in the sport, saying she spent time with him on her community's outdoor rink.Lacquette'sroots extend beyond the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border, eastto the community of Cote First Nation just north of Yorkton, where her mother grew up.She won the 2015-16 Clarkson Cup with the CWHL Calgary team.

ChayGenoway, Morden

Chay Genoway, 31, from Morden, will also represent Manitoba on the Olympic team. The defencemanplayed one game for the Minnesota Wild during the 2011-12 season and had an assist in that lone appearance. He's playing in the KHL this yearin the Russiancity of Tolyatti, which sits on the Volga River, about 1,000 kilometres southeast of Moscow. Because the NHL is not participating in the Olympics this year, players like Genowayget their chance to compete.

Heather McLean, Winnipeg

The province's only competing speedskater, McLean says she grew up dreaming about competing in the Olympics while watching greats like Susan Auch and Cindy Klassen, also from Manitoba. She finished a respectable seventh place at the 2017 World Sprint Championships, the top spot for a Canadian woman. She trains occasionally with Olympic 500-metrechampion Lee Sang Hwaof South Korea, whom she calls "a sister."Shewon her way to the Olympics with a first in the 1,000-metre distanceand a second in the 500 earlier this yearat Calgary's Olympic Oval. Those races are considered sprints in the world of long-track speedskating.

Jocelyne Larocque, Ste. Anne

Larocque is hoping for a repeat performance at her second Olympics, helping Team Canada bring home gold. A member of the women's national team for 10 years, Laroque, 29, is a key member of the defence.In Sochi, she was the team'stop scorer ondefencewith one goal and one assist, helping the team capture its fourth straight gold medal. She says she started playing hockey when she was five, because she wanted to be just like her older sister.

Kaitlyn Lawes, Winnipeg

Manitoba's lone Olympic curler this year, Lawes is hoping for a gold in Pyeongchangto compliment her gold in Sochi. In 2014, the third was part of skipJennifer Jones' team that was the first undefeated Olympic curling team. This time, she goes as part of the mixed doubles team, with John Morris, who was born in Winnipeg but moved to Ontario at a young age. She started curling at age fourwhen her family won a bonspiel, and enjoys golf, volleyball, swimming and fishing when she's not hurrying hard on the ice.

Quinton Howden, Oakbank

Part of a hockey-playing family(his brother Brett won World Junior gold), Howden, 26,played five games for the Winnipeg Jets last season and spent six years as part of the Florida Panthers organization. The forward has played with the Moose Jaw Warriors, the San Antonio Rampage and is currently in the KHL with Dinamo Minsk.