Orillia's Gunnar Holmgren hopes his Olympic debut in Paris will inspire local youth.
The skilled and motivated cyclist, who was named Orillia's Athlete of the Year in 2021, placed 30th in the men's cross-country mountain biking event at the Olympics in Paris this morning.
Holmgren, 24, says it wasn't his best race, but he gave it his all.
"I definitely got 100 per cent out of the legs I had," he told OrilliaMatters via phone from Paris after the event. "The experience was amazing."
When Holmgren took off for his eight laps around the challenging 35.3-kilometre man-made Olympic course, he says the energy became "electric."
"The French crowd is good at showing up to the bike races and encouraging all of the athletes," he said, noting about 15,000 fans were packed around the course at Élancourt Hill, located about 40 kilometres from the Athletes Village. "It was really top-notch."
Holmgren says the Canadian fans showed up for him in Paris today, including friends and family from back home in Orillia.
"I could hear them during every lap around the course in multiple spots," he said. "I'm really thankful that they all made the trip."
The fast course, full of technical passes, made for a challenging race. Holmgren said he could feel the loose gravel underneath his wheels at every turn.
"I had to be really focused the whole way around the course," he said. "You could never really relax at any point which made it a bit challenging but made for some fun racing."
Holmgren is used to racing against the toughest competition in the world. Most of the cyclists he was up against today, he races year-round.
"Not only the top guys, but everyone there is super dedicated," he said. "They all sacrificed quite a bit to be there."
While the result may not have been what Holmgren was aiming for today, he says it's "pretty cool" that he can now call himself an Olympian.
"Hopefully, it inspires some younger ones back home," he said, noting that he hopes to be back at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Local fans, family, and friends cheered on Holmgren this morning during a watch party at Hardwood Ski and Bike. He says having that kind of support is "special."
"Hardwood is where I grew up riding my bike," he said. "I have some amazing memories there. I'm sure one of the next Olympians for Canada is peddling their bike around there now."
Yesterday, Holmgren's younger sister Isabella placed 17th in the Olympic women's cross-country mountain biking event. He says sharing the Olympic experience with his sister has been a dream come true.
"We are super proud of each other," he said. "To have the whole family here has been really amazing."
