Two local teen athletes were named as finalists in RBC Training Ground this week, the Canadian Olympic Committee’s official cross-country talent search.
Huntsville’s Tyler Geveart, a 16-year-old slalom kayaker and Huntsville HS student, and Gravenhurst’s Will Nunnenmacher, a 15-year-old climbing athlete at Bracebridge Muskoka Lakes Secondary, were identified as having Olympic potential.
Geveart and Nunnenmacher earned the honour after competing against 2,500 athletes (aged 14-25) from a wide range of sports who participated in free local qualifier events across the country, performing core speed, strength, power and endurance tests in front of Olympic talent scouts to either find the sport for which they are most suited or earn a funding boost in their existing sport based on their raw physical abilities.
Officials say on Nov. 2, they will compete in Halifax, Nova Scotia, against fellow top 100 prospects from across the country in a series of physical tests. The top 30 athletes from the final will earn funding, a spot on Team Canada with one of twelve partner National Sport Organizations, and an accelerated path to the Olympics.
Geveart will look to follow in the footsteps of fellow Muskoka Kayak School paddler Owen McKay, who earned funding through the program in 2022.
“Tyler made a big performance gain throughout this past summer and secured a spot to compete in Men’s Canoe at the World Cup final in La Seu d’Urgell in Spain, and at the 2024 National Championships, he won a silver medal,” says Emily MacKeigan, Senior Manager High-Performance Operations.
Officials say Nunnenmacher competes in the new Olympic sport called Speed Climbing, and he will be one of the youngest competitors at the national final.
“I was on the bus on my way back from school when I found out I’d made the final,” said Nunnenmacher, whose home gym is Climb Muskoka. “My mom texted me a screenshot of the email saying that I made it. I jumped up from my seat, started to dance, and told all my friends. It felt amazing. As soon as I saw that I was accepted, a huge smile crept across my face, and I felt that all my hard work was finally paying off.”
“Will caught our attention at the RBC Training Ground event in Whitby and then had very promising in-person testing results on the wall as well,” said Libor Hroza, National Coach with Climbing Canada. “He is the youngest male athlete who made our cut for this program, and we think he is at the perfect age to step up his game.”
For more information on the list of participants, click here.
