Rockwood teen wins Olympic talent search contest

Cole Dempster from Rockwood is one step closer to competing in the Olympics.

The 17-year-old has won funding after participating in the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Training Ground National Final last month.

Dempster, a first year junior with Canada’s national track cycling program, was one of more than 2,200 athletes, aged 14-25 to participate in this year’s RBC Training Ground, an annual cross-country talent search run in partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Sport Institutes.

The program see athletes from a wide range of sports perform core speed, strength, power and endurance tests in front of Olympic talent scouts from nine different sports to find the sport for which they are most suited. 

Only 100 athletes were invited to the final, held in Toronto on December 2.

As one of only thirty athletes to earn funding, Dempster, a Grade 12 student at Acton District High School, now has a spot on Team Canada with one of twelve partner national sport organizations, as well as an accelerated path to the Olympics. 

“I have done a lot of different sports over the years and recently found my passion, track cycling,” said Dempster, whose sister Madison was a former gymnast before being identified for track cycling at RBC Training Ground in 2019.

“This was the second National Final I was invited to, so I knew what to expect and I’m really happy I was able to compete at the highest level against so many other top athletes.”

Now in its eighth year, RBC Training Ground is a nation-wide talent identification and athlete-funding program dedicated to finding and supporting the next generation of Canadian Olympians.

Cycling Canada coach Tanya Dubnicoff, began working with Dempster after he was identified at an RBC Training Ground event in 2022.

“Cole has had a tremendous year on the bike, considering he is a only a 17-year-old first-year junior,” Dubnicoff said.

“At the 2023 Junior Track Cycling World Championships he won a bronze medal in the men’s sprint, with an amazing 200m time of 9.95 seconds.”

Although still new to the sport, Dubnicoff says Dempster is an exciting prospect for the LA 2028 Olympics, and that the funding from RBC will be very helpful.

“He’s done so well so quickly that he’s even been granted permission to compete at the Elite National Track Cycling Championship as a second year junior in 2024,” Dubnicoff said.

Funding is administered by participating national sport organizations and is used to cover costs including coaching, transportation, travel, equipment, and nutrition. 

Partners include Boxing Canada, Canoe Kayak Canada, Climbing Escalade Canada, Cycling Canada Cyclisme, Freestyle Canada, Luge Canada, Rowing Canada Aviron, Rugby Canada, Speed Skating Canada, Triathlon Canada, Volleyball Canada, Boxing Canada, Climbing Canada, Triathlon Canada, and Wrestling Canada.

Since its inception in 2016, the RBC Training Ground program has tested 13,000 athletes at free local events across Canada, with close to 2,000 being identified as having Olympic potential. 

The complete list of 30 athletes selected for funding is available at RBCTrainingGround.ca