Barely underway, the year 2024 is shaping up to be a fun one for young BMX athlete Justin Lafleur. The 13-year-old Coteau-du-Lac resident will be flying to Colombia in the next few hours, in addition to taking part in the World Championships in May.

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A training camp in Colombia and a World Championship appearance for Justin Lafleur

This Saturday, January 6, Justin will board a plane for Medellín, where he will take part in a training camp with Équipe Québec. For the young man, this will be his first visit to the South American country.

"I'm leaving this Saturday, but training doesn't start until Monday, January 8. We'll be there until January 16. It's going to be really cool. As well as training by doing crossfit and track training, we'll also meet Colombian BMX champions and do a bit of sightseeing. I'm really looking forward to it," he sums up.  

On the road to the World Championships

Another important upcoming event in Justin's life in 2024 is his participation in the World Championships, scheduled for March 6-13 in Rockhill, South Carolina. It will also be his first visit to this part of the United States.

How does the young man see his participation in this major competition? "It will be a good challenge. Over there, the track is partly dirt except for the corners and the start, which are asphalt. We don't have many tracks like that here in Quebec. I think there's only one in Bromont in my memory.I'll be wearing Team Canada colors for this race. I'll also have to deal with the altitude, a factor we don't really have here.It's definitely going to be an extra challenge.So will all the other participants," he adds.

Between now and the start of this important competition, which will be his first of the year, Justin is training at home during the winter season.He's working on his lower body, as well as using weights to build muscle mass.

His first race in Quebec will be at Pointe-du-Lac in Trois-Rivières in June.