As Paris 2024 draws to a close, it’s—believe it or not—already time to start looking ahead to Los Angeles 2028.
Specifically, we’re thinking about Canadian athletes who made their Olympic debut in Paris and appear ready to make an even bigger splash four years from now.
Suffice to say the Paris Games didn’t turn out the way the women’s national soccer team would have hoped. But they did provide the chance for two young players to show why they’ll likely be mainstays by the time LA 2028 rolls around.
In fact, 21-year-old defender Jade Rose is already somewhat of a mainstay; she played every minute of Canada’s four games at these Olympics. Meanwhile, 20-year-old midfielder Simi Awujo started in the all-important quarterfinal against Germany.
Both showed composure beyond their years, and it’s hard to believe this will be the only Olympic appearance of their careers.
Canada’s unexpected run to the silver medal in women’s rugby sevens is all the more remarkable when you consider how young the team is. Seven of the 12 players are under 25, all of whom made their Olympic debuts this year.
Given the team’s suddenly high-profile status, it’s tough to call any of them “rising” stars; they have, after all, already risen. And despite their ages, many have been with the team for years and established their on-field bonafides.
Even so, for on-field impact in front of audiences who may not have known them before, we’ll give a nod to 23-year-old Piper Logan (four tries) and 21-year-old Chloe Daniels (two tries, five conversions).
While the focus was on Eleanor Harvey‘s historic bronze medal in individual foil, she wasn’t the only Canadian taking to the piste at the Grand Palais.
Yunjia Zhang, 16, held her own alongside Harvey in the team foil event, in which Canada came up just short of another bronze medal. A mention here as well to Jessica Guo who, despite being in her second Olympics, is still just 19.
READ: ‘Bittersweet’ fourth-place finish won’t break fencing team’s ‘powerful’ bond
There were some eye-catching medal wins for Canada in athletics at these Games. But there were also some athletes who may have laid the groundwork for their own big moments down the line.
Earlier this year, Christopher Morales-Williams, as a 19-year-old, ran a world’s best time of 44.49 seconds in the indoor men’s 400m. It wasn’t ratified as a world record due to a technical issue, but it raised hopes for his performance in Paris.
Morales-Williams turned 20 during his Olympic debut and reached the semifinal of the men’s 400m. He didn’t run his best race (45.25) at the end of a long and exhausting collegiate season but the future still looks bright.
Another newly-arrived sprinting star is Audrey Leduc, who in April broke a 36-year-old Canadian 100m record. She lowered it again in her first round heat.
Another birthday celebrant in Paris was 21-year-old Savannah Sutherland. The Olympic newcomer reached the final of the women’s 400m hurdles, finishing seventh in a race where a new world record was set. She also ran Canada’s fastest leg in the final of the women’s 4x400m relay, in a time of 50.06 seconds.
Despite losing in the quarterfinals, Canada proved in their first Olympic appearance in 24 years that they can compete with the best.
Canada fielded a younger roster than most of the field, led by point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. While SGA has become a household name in basketball circles, these Games helped introduce the likes of RJ Barrett and Andrew Nembhard.
Barrett, son of former Olympian Rowan Barrett, provided consistent scoring and shooting for Canada. Nembhard, meanwhile, had his breakout game against Spain in the final game of the pool play. His 18 points included some clutch buckets that helped Canada clinch top spot in Group A.
Though it was a tough tournament for the team, Canada got a glimpse of what to expect from 22-year-old Aaliyah Edwards. She played a key role in this competition, especially on the glass, grabbing 14 rebounds in three games.
Syla Swords became Canada’s youngest ever Olympic basketball player at age 18. She averaged a modest 3.3 points per game, but was a central part of the rotation for Canada, averaging nearly 21 minutes per game.
While Katie Vincent achieved her dream of winning Olympic gold in the women’s C-1 200m, she wasn’t the only Canadian in the final. Sophia Jensen, a 22-year-old in her first Olympics, finished sixth—less than a second behind her more experienced teammate.
That was Vincent’s second medal at Paris 2024. Her first, a bronze in the women’s C-2 500m, came alongside another 22-year-old up-and-comer, Sloan Mackenzie.
Canada once again had a big Games in the pool, headlined by Olympic veterans such as Summer McIntosh and Kylie Masse. But a number of first-time Olympians made their impacts as well.
Can we really call 19-year-old Ilya Kharun a “rising” star, given that he won two medals in Paris? Well, we will, given that he only competed in his first major international swim meet just two years ago.
Julie Brousseau and Ella Jansen, both 18, came up just short of their own medals as part of the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team.
It was an impressive first Olympics for 24-year-old Ana Godinez Gonzalez. Competing in the women’s freestyle 62kg event, she notched a fifth-place finish in Paris after making it all the way to a bronze medal match.
Gonzalez is the oldest of the rising stars we’ve named here. But as Carol Huynh and Daniel Igali have shown us in the past, there’s definitely precedent for Canadian wrestlers in their late 20s hitting the Olympic podium for the first time.
