Comox athlete Emmy Lan has been recognized as one of the best in B.C. in amateur sports.
Sport BC celebrated its 56th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards on March 7 in Vancouver. The event was hosted by CBC’s Scott Russell and was set to recognize the province’s best including athletes, coaches, teams, and officials for their performances in 2023.
Among them was Lan, who won the junior female athlete of the year award.
“It was a super big honour to receive this award, especially since mountain biking isn’t as big as some of the other sports like hockey and soccer,” said Lan. “It’s pretty cool to even just be named as one of the finalists and to be there with all the other athletes and coaches.”
This award comes after Lan clinched her second consecutive Enduro World Cup victory in 2023, finishing first in every race of the past season and establishing herself as an athlete to be reckoned with on the global stage.
Born in Calgary, the young athlete relocated to the Island at seven years old, establishing roots in the Comox Valley mountain biking community.
Introduced to the sport at five years old by her parents, she started racing at the provincial level at only 12. Lan’s competitive racing career truly started at 15 when she first attended the Island Cup Series.
Progressing swiftly, she transitioned into the international scene at 17, participating in world cup events.
In 2023, Lan signed with her first racing team, Forbidden Synthesis, headquartered in Cumberland.
Close to what she considers “the best biking in Canada,” the young woman felt privileged that her sport now allows her to explore the best mountain biking locations across the globe.
“(Mountain biking is) giving me the opportunity to see and travel the world,” said the 20-year-old Lan. “We were in Australia at the start of last year and then there is always a bunch of race in Europe. We (went) to Italy, France, Switzerland, Scotland, Quebec, and…West Virginia.”
Having recently completed high school, Lan told the Record that she is now fully dedicated to her mountain biking career and hopes to represent her province on the world stage further.
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