The beauty of the Olympics often comes in the form of the unexpected.
Three years ago, after the Tokyo Olympics ended, it would have been hard to predict that Canada would go on to win gold medals in judo, hammer throw and breaking at Paris 2024 — yet that’s exactly what happened.
In the four years ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics, then, new star athletes will surely emerge for Canada.
In the meantime, here’s a few Canadians that already appear on track to stardom in Hollywood:
Summer McIntosh
Barring disaster, McIntosh appears in line to smash Penny Oleksiak and Andre De Grasse’s shared national mark of seven career Olympic medals, but given her prolificness across multiple events in the pool — and with American legend Katie Ledecky having possibly swam in her final Olympics — it is not out of the question that McIntosh could earn that many medals in Los Angeles alone.
Could McIntosh add the 200- or 800-metre freestyle races to her schedule in L.A.? What if she improves in the sprint distances?
In Paris, we witnessed the birth of Canada’s next Olympic superstar. Her peak, though, is still ahead.
WATCH | Relive McIntosh’s medal moments:
At just 17 years old, Summer McIntosh is making waves. Donnovan Bennett explains why although this gold rush might just be the beginning, we shouldn’t take it for granted.
Christopher Morales Williams and Audrey Leduc
Neither Canadian sprinter reached an individual final in Paris — it would be a major surprise if that were still true in L.A.
Morales Williams, the 400-metre specialist, burst onto the scene during the NCAA season, running multiple world-leading times and qualifying for the Olympics almost out of nowhere.
But it’s tough for track athletes to peak multiple times over just a few months, and after the 20-year-old Maple, Ont., native won the NCAA title in June, he could not maintain the speed in Paris.
Similarly, the 25-year-old Leduc emerged as a potentially great sprinter after setting multiple Canadian records — including during the 100-metre heats at 10.95 seconds.
If the Gatineau, Que., native continues on her current trajectory, Canada should have a contender in the women’s sprint events for the first time in a while.
Ethan Katzberg and Camryn Rogers
More than their individual accolades, which should continue piling up in Los Angeles, Katzberg and Rogers could provide the foundation for Canadian throwers to keep rising.
“Things like this don’t just happen overnight,” Rogers told CBC News Network’s Heather Hiscox the day after she won gold.
“I think that Canada has been pretty blessed to have had a lot of really amazing people who are so knowledgeable and invested and dedicated to the sport of throwing and especially hammer throw.”
Now, there’s a pair of Olympic champions — and the future seems bright.
WATCH | Katzberg wins hammer throw gold:
Ethan Katzberg keeps Canada’s medal momentum with a golden performance in Hammer Throw.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Syla Swords
Paris was not the basketball tournament Canadians once envisioned as hopes of three medals dimmed to none.
But the current disappointment should not take away from the excitement of the future — led by an NBA MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the men’s side and high schooler Syla Swords for the women.
As the men’s team disintegrated in the quarterfinals against France, Gilgeous-Alexander kept things afloat with a vintage 27-point performance. Expectations for the 26-year-old Hamilton, Ont., native were high for this tournament, but Gilgeous-Alexander matched them.
Swords, competing in the Olympics at just 18 years old, saw her playing time steadily rise throughout the tournament as Canada’s veterans struggled.
The Sudbury, Ont., native is headed to the University of Michigan in the fall, and could be a WNBA rookie when the Los Angeles Games roll around.
Swords was joined by Notre Dame’s Cassandre Prosper on this team, and Duke’s Toby Fournier, another young star who can dunk, should join the senior squad before long.
Despite the Paris disappointment, hope should once again hit an all-time high for Canada Basketball to end its Olympic medal drought, which dates back to 1936, in four year’s time.