BMX athlete Justin Lafleur took advantage of the Canadian Championships held this weekend in Coteau-du-Lac to secure his place at the 2025 World Championships to be held in July in Copenhagen, Denmark. 

The young man told us he was delighted that this important race was being held on the track he knows so well, and on which he has ridden thousands of hours since he first got on his bike. 

A total of 649 athletes, ranging in age from 3 to over 50 and coming from all over the country, converged on the Centre nature quatre-saisons de Coteau-du-Lac to take part in this major competition. This was the first time the national competition had been held here. 

In his category, the 14-year-olds, Justin finished first in all his races. This gave him the privilege of choosing his starting corridor for the next wave of qualifications.

For the final, a coin toss determined whether he, or an opponent with the same number of points after their respective races of the day, would have the first choice of corridor. Luck was on the young Coteaulacois' side, and it was Justin who had the first selection and took the start of the 2nd corridor. 

"I'm very happy with the result. I never thought I'd finish first and qualify for the World Championships. I really gave it my all, and me and my coach really wanted this title (laughs)", said the young man a few minutes after being crowned Canadian champion in the 14+ age group, as his mother Isabelle, his sister and his maternal grandparents looked on with pride. 

In addition to winning his race, Justin also took home a gold medal and a plaque for his first-place finish.