Was 2024 Canada’s best-ever world championships?

On Sunday, Canadian athletes wrapped up a stunning world championships week in Pal Arinsal, Andorra with two more medals including a second world championship title in a week for Isabella Holmgren. Along the way, mountain bikers contributed to Canadian cycling had arguably its best day ever. But, just on dirt alone, Canadina athletes wrapped up arguably the country’s best world championships with six medals.

Yes, we’ve had good years before

Now, Canada has a long history of success at mountain bike worlds. Numerous worlds titles for the maple leaf team start back at Year One (a.k.a. 1990), and continue with impressive regularity over the next three-plus decades. But rarely have our country’s athletes all excelled in a single week.

Maybe there was a better day back in the early 90s and earliest days of world championships. Back when Cindy Devine and Elladee Brown were finishing first and second in downhill for Canada at world champs, taking two medals out of only five events. Or in 1992, when Devine and Alison Sydor were both on the podium. As a ratio of events to medals, those were both great years.

Since then, though? Canada’s strength in cross county and downhill have, generally, alternated. Even in the 2010-2012 era, where Catharine Pendrel and Stevie Smith were at the top of their respective disciplines, they never hit the podium in the same year.

There are a few years, though, where Canada won more than one or two medals.

In 2001 Roland Green won the men’s XCO. Alison Sydor was silver in the elite women’s cross country and Ryder Hesjedal* also silver in under-23 men’s XCO. That trio were joined by Chrissy Redden and Adam Coates to win the XC Relay. That makes four medals total, with two in the elite categories.

Then, in 2016, Finn Iles and Magnus Manson went 1-2 in the junior men’s downhill while Emily Batty was bronze in the elite women’s XCO.

Then, in 2023, Isabella Holmgren and Marin Lowe went 1-2 in the junior women’s XCO, with Ian Ackert bronze in the junior men’s. On the downhill side, Bodhi Kuhn brought home silver in the junior men’s event. That is, again, four medals.

2024’s huge medal haul

So that’s the past. Let’s look at this year. First, we have Isabella Holmgren winning two world championships in one week. The Orillia, Ont. won gold in short…