It was a triumphant year for B.C. athletes on the provincial, national and global stage. They not only reached for greatness through different disciplines, but also overcame their own personal barriers.

British Columbians overcame political obstacles to represent their country. British Columbians demonstrated dedication and honour to a sport they have devoted their entire life to. They proved through sport, that greatness will not be impeded. These are the most inspirational sports stories from around the province in 2018.

Comox鈥檚 golden girl

Comox freestyle skier Cassie Sharpe, 26, made her hometown proud when she won gold at the 2018 Pyeonchang Olympics in the ladies half pipe.

Whalley鈥檚 Little League World Series run ends in loss to Puerto Rico

With plenty of drama on and off the diamond, Whalley Little League represented Canada proudly at the Little League World Series. The baseball world watched as Dio Gama, one of the squad鈥檚 best young players, was initially prevented from joining his teammates in Pennsylvania due to immigration issues.

Paralympic dream for rider with cerebral palsy

Kim Scott was given a two percent chance of survival. Now, the Victoria-native para equestrian has her eyes set to represent Canada at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. 鈥淚 can go anywhere I want to go and not worry about falling down or tripping or getting tired. The horses really are my legs some days.鈥�

Ucluelet cheers Special Olympic gold medalist

As Ucluelet鈥檚 first Special Olympic athlete to compete at the national event, Maxtin Lengyel was greeted with cheers, hugs and high fives as he returned home as a gold medalist in the 200-metre race.

NHL official from Penticton celebrates 2,000th NHL regular season game

Shane Heyer admits 鈥渋t鈥檚 been a fun journey鈥� after 30 years, millions of air miles and 2,000 NHL regular season games wearing the stripes.

Blind Ambition: Abbotsford man plays on despite vision disability

Brian Mackie was never picked first growing up, but that has not stopped him from pursuing his passion of hockey.

Skidegate hosts first Pacific Unity basketball series

From Tonga, Hawai鈥橧, Aoteraoa/New Zealand and Skeena River, youth basketball players landed in Skidegate for the first-ever Pacific Unity U22 Summer Series.

Sky鈥檚 the limit for St贸:l艒 soccer player Bruce Silver

Silver鈥檚 rise through the soccer world wasn鈥檛 easy. Teams can be political, and undercurrents of racism still exist.

Owls QB on historic championship win: 鈥榃e鈥檙e a well rounded team鈥�

The Kelowna Secondary School Owls became the first junior varsity football team in the Okanagan to win the provincial championships.

Fernie Ghostriders welcomed home in front of sold out crowd

The Ghostriders celebrated victory after winning for the first time at the Fernie Memorial Arena after a tragic ammonia leak shut down the arena and struck the community.

Alberni dominates at home wrestling championships

Nine Alberni District Secondary School wrestlers made it to their respective finals, with three taking home the gold. The wins marked the first time in 20 years that ADSS has won the boys鈥� provincial banner.

Engineering technologist earns way to Boston Marathon

The Boston Marathon is the world鈥檚 oldest annual marathon and entry is limited. Parksville鈥檚 Gordon Chilton he was one of 30,000 runners who qualified.

Sedin twins wrap up stellar NHL careers

It will be a confusing time in British Columbia, having to cheer on the Vancouver Canucks without Daniel and Henrik Sedin. B.C. fans said tearful goodbyes to the twins earlier this year as they marked their last season.

Surrey Eagles honour former player, Humboldt Broncos crash victim

Jaxon Joseph played for the Eagles in the 2015-16 season, prior to his death in the horrific bus crash that involved Saskatchewan Junior A team the Humboldt Broncos.

B.C. veteran uses boxing, coaching and farming to combat PTSD

After returning from Afghanistan, Quesnel鈥檚 Cam Tetrault found solace in farming. Oftentimes, Tetrault would skip from the farm to the gym, as he said the gym 鈥渞eally helped me with my PTSD to be accepted and it鈥檚 motivating to be there.鈥�