The Ontario government is helping three local cyclists continue the pursuit of their international racing dreams through its Quest for Gold program.
The local athletes will receive funding that helps offset the costs of training and living expenses, which could include rent, costs to attend a training camp, equipment, tuition and other education-related expenses.
Across the province, 1,438 high-performance athletes will receive more than $6 million through the program.
Orillia siblings Gunnar Holmgren and Ava Holmgren were both thankful to earn Quest for Gold funding.
Gunnar is a 21-year-old Ècole Secondaire Catholique Novelle-Alliance graduate who got his start in cycling at Hardwood Ski and Bike, where he continues to sharpen his skills today.
The driven local athlete has experience in both national and international competitions, including the Cyclocross National Championships which he won in 2016, 2018 and 2019.
Gunnar has received Quest for Gold funding multiple times and says the support has been a key contributor to his success.
“It definitely helps me get to the races, especially the international ones. It can cover a few flights for me, which is great,” he said.
The Quest for Gold funding this year will help Gunnar participate in training camps in both British Columbia and Spain.
“Next year is my last year before I move up to the big category, the elite, where I will be competing against the best of the best, so I want to make a successful and smooth transition and move beyond that point as well,” he said.
Gunnar’s 15-year-old sister, Ave Holmgren, who is also a student of Ècole Secondaire Catholique Novelle-Alliance is receiving the Quest for Gold funding for the first time in her young career. Gunnar believes the funding will lead his sister to similar successes that he has experienced in his own cycling journey.
“It’s cool that my sister has it now. She’s getting it when I pretty much started out racing competitively, so it’s cool to see her falling in the same footsteps,” he said.
Kelly Lawson, a 17-year-old Craighurst native and Eastview Secondary School graduate, is also receiving the Quest for Gold funding to help her with the pursuit of her Olympic cycling dreams.
“I’m really grateful and it’s an unbelievable help,” Lawson said.
“Cycling is a pretty expensive sport. We are constantly needing new equipment and new bikes, so it’s financially helping me get to the races, especially now when it’s been more difficult with the COVID situation," she explained.
Lawson represented Canada at the 2019 Mountain Bike World Championships in the junior women’s category at Mont-Sainte Anne in Quebec. Her long-term goal is to represent Canada at the Olympics.
In the short term, she wants to join a post-secondary cycling team where she can continue to move up in the ranks.
Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop said the Quest for Gold funding helps several local athletes.
“The Ontario government is supporting local athletes from Tiny, Washago, Orillia, Midland and Victoria Harbour in their quest for gold,” Dunlop said.
“The Quest for Gold program provides much needed funding and support to our athletes, so that they can continue pursuing their dreams on an international stage. I’m excited to hear the results of their training efforts in the near future.”
North Simcoe’s nine local recipients of this year’s provincial funding include:
- Erin Ambrose - Ice Hockey,
- Samuel Galloway – Short Track Speed Skating
- Sommer Gendron – Snowboarding
- Gunner Holmgren – Cycling
- Glenn Howard – Curling
- Scott Howard – Curling
- Annie Lloyd – Lacrosse
- Stephen Maar – Indoor Volleyball
- Leigha Smith - Wrestling
QUICK FACTS
- Quest for Gold athletes receive funding that helps offset costs of training and living expenses. This could include rent, costs to attend a training camp, equipment and tuition/education-related expenses.
- Past Olympic medallists Penny Oleksiak, Andre De Grasse, and Gabrielle Daleman have received Quest for Gold funding. Of the 43 Ontario athletes who medaled at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and Paralympics, 34 were Quest for Gold athletes.
- The government is also providing up to $12.3 million to Canadian Sports Institute Ontario over three years, and up to $3.21 million to the Coaches Association of Ontario over three years to support high-performance athletes and their coaches as they go for gold.
