Holmgren sisters make history for Canada at Cyclocross World Championships

HOOGERHEIDE NETHERLANDS FEBRUARY 04 LR Silver medalist Ava Holmgren of Canada gold medalist Isabella Holmgren of Canada embrace each other on the podium during the medal ceremony after during the 74th World Championships CycloCross 2023 Womens Junior CXWorldCup Hoogerheide2023 on February 04 2023 in Hoogerheide Netherlands Photo by David StockmanGetty Images
Sister Isabella Holmgren (winner) gives sister Ava Holmgren (silver medal) a hug on the podium at Junior Women's Cyclocross World Championship (Image credit: David Stockman/Getty Images)

Canadian twins Isabella and Ava Holmgren made history at the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Hoogerheide, winning the first medals for Canada in the discipline at the highest level. And not just any medals, but Isabella took the gold and rainbow jersey for junior women with Ava following with the silver. 

The 17-year-olds were the favourites in the junior event. Ava won this year’s Junior Pan-American title and Elite Canadian national championship, and carried momentum with a junior race victory at World Cup Zonhoven. Isabella won the Junior national championship and won the women’s junior race at the X2O Trofee round on January 1 at GP Sven Nys. She was also the bronze medalist at Pan-Ams.

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Jackie Tyson
North American Production editor

Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. She has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast). Her favorite road and gravel rides are around horse farms in north Georgia (USA) and around lavender fields in Provence (France), and some mtb rides in Park City, Utah (USA).