Track & Field’s Gates and volleyball’s Lajmi named McGill athletes of the week

MONTREAL – Ben Gates of Regina, Sask., and Elyssa Lajmi, who hails from Thionville in northeastern France, are the McGill University athletes of the week, presented by Restaurant Poulet Rouge, for the period ending Jan. 26, 2025.
 
Gates, a 5-foot-10, 145-pound middle distance runner with the men’s track and field team, had gold and silver medal performances, as the Redbirds finished first of 16 universities at the McGill Team Challenge meet last weekend. McGill won the men’s division after taking the last event, striking gold in the 4×400 relay that crossed the finish line in 3:17.99. Gates, an 18-year-old mechanical engineering freshman, ran the second leg of the winning foursome. He also produced a silver medal finish in the 600m race with a time of 1:20.67, which was about two seconds short of the school record.  Gates began his McGill career with the cross-country team last fall after completing high school at Sheldon Williams Collegiate in Regina.
 
Lajmi, a six-foot power-hitter with the volleyball Martlets, scored 31.5 points in six sets as McGill registered a pair of 3-0 victories over UQAC in Chicoutimi last Friday and Saturday. The 22-year-old newcomer is a graduate certificate student in English and Communications. She registered 19 kills with three service aces one stuff block, five assisted blocks and 20 digs. Lajmi registered a solid 33.9 per cent kill ratio, with five errors on her 59 kill attempts. She enrolled at McGill this year after graduating from Win Sport School, a management-focussed institution based in France.
 
McGill athlete of the week award recipients receive a gift certificate from Poulet Rouge, serving healthy and nutritious meals since 2017. All students can get a 15% discount at the Poulet Rouge McGill location upon presentation of their student ID card. 
 
SOURCE
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
CELL: 514-983-7012
E-MAIL:earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca