Olympic Expectations

The Canadian approach to the Olympics changed in the lead-up to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. Gone were the days of the plucky “just happy to be here” Canuck. Instead, competition-ready, finely tuned athletes came to win medals, preferably gold. The results from funding programs, including the ambitiously named Own the Podium, were clear. Canadian athletes won more gold medals than any other nation in a single winter games – 14 of Canada’s 26 total medals. Two years later at the London 2012 Summer Games, Canada failed to meet the goal of finishing in the top-12 nations. Instead, it matched its medal count from Beijing in 2008. Some high profile athletes failed to achieve their ambitions, while others surprised with medal-winning performances. Cycling Canada, the country’s governing body for track, bmx, mountain and road, says its staff and athletes have learned lessons from London. They are ready to enter the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and fight for medals. “We’re way better equipped than we were in London,” said Jacques Landry, high-performance director for Cycling Canada. “We have better support staff and greater experience across the board.”

Cycling Canada has identified seven events in which Canadians could be in the medal hunt. The bulk of those are on the track, where women could fight for a medal in the team pursuit, team sprint and keirin. There’s also hope for a medal in men’s keirin. On the road course, there’s further expectations in the women’s time trial. There’s medal potential in men’s bmx and women’s cross country mountain bike, too.

In London, across the entire Canadian Olympic team, medal targets were attained by assuming a 50 per cent conversion rate on medal opportunities. In Rio, that rate has been lessened to 33 per cent, which translates into two medals for cycling. “Looking at the progression curves of our athletes, we could be in the medal hunt in those seven events, but we need to be realistic,” said Landry. “In London, 50 per cent was not realistic.”