August 11/23 6:11 am - 5 Medal Day for Canada at Worlds
Posted by Editoress on 08/11/23
Canada had a strong day on Thursday at the world championships in Scotland, winning five medals in total, highlighted by the 1-2 finish in Junior Women's Cross-country. Isabella Holmgren won her second title of the year, the XCO title to the Cyclo-cross one earlier in the year; she joins a select group of riders who have managed to win in multiple different disciplines in the same year. Team Mate Marin Lowe took the silver medal. In the Junior Men's XCO, Ian Ackert took bronze, giving Canada three out of six Junior XCO medals. At the para time trials, Keely Shaw won a bronze medal in Women's C4, to go along with the silver she won on the track. Michael Sametz also won bronze in the C3 men's time trial.
Isabella Holmgren went to the front on the start lap of the Junior women's race and never looked back, outclimbing everyone else in the field. Lowe moved into second on Lap 1 (of five) and fended off early challenges before pulling away to take second. Canada could of potentially swept the podium, but Isabella's sister Ava was injured earlier in the week (collarbone) in a training crash. In the Junior men's race, Ackert was clearly thinking of the Team Relay fourth place a day earlier, when Canada finished out of the medals by one second; powering up from fifth to battle for third by mid-race, pulling away in the last lap and a half, and coming within ten seconds of the silver medal winner.
"I definitely never expected [winning multiple titles]," admitted Holmgren, "but it's something everyone dreams about. It feels unreal to achieve it and hasn't fully sunk in yet. I was definitely a bit scared on the technical [parts], but I really enjoyed the climbing and made the most of it, and tried to sty calm and composed on the descents. I tried just to think about my own race and go as hard as I could; I did have a little mishap, but that just pushed me to go harder." Interview on FB
For sure [the Team Relay fourth] was always on my mind. When I was in fourth I could see third on the climbs, and every lap I was fighting to catch him, and I finally did. One lap he went into the pit [for a feed] and I didn't, and I just thought, 'don't look behind'. I actually had my eyes on second for a while ... but I'm really happy with this ride." Interview on FB
In other Canadian results, in the XCC races, Leandre Bouchard was the top Canadian finisher in 15th place. Gunnar Holmgren was 23rd, Peter Disera 28th and Sean Fincham 43rd. In the women's Short Track, Jenn Jackson was 21st, Laurie Arseneault 31st and Sandra Walter 34th.
In the Road Time Trials, Nora Linton was 14th in Junior women and Eloise Camire 24th. In Elite women, Olivia Baril was 19th and national champion Paula Findlay 25th. In the Para time trials, other results were Mel Pemble in eighth place for Women's C3 and Carla Shibley with pilot Meghan Brown in tenth in Women's tandem. In the men's tandem, the team of Lowell Taylor and Ed Veal finished 13th.
BMX Freestyle Flatland concluded on Thursday, and Canadian Jean William Prévost scored his best result of the week with 85.50 points, for fourth position, less than four points away from the bronze medal.
Holmgren and Lowe go 1-2 at Jr MTB Worlds, Ackert Takes Bronze
MTB World Championships: Short Track results and photos
Road Worlds: Women ITT results
| Return to Canadian Cyclist homepage | Back to Top |
