Laurence St-Germain had never been on the podium before the Alpine Ski World Championships in Méribel in February. She had finished among the top 10 several times in the World Cup, but never higher than sixth, in 2020. The podium, she had dreamed of it for seven or eight years, even if Alpine Canada excluded her from its program, not deeming it not efficient enough. The athlete from Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges caused a huge surprise by winning gold in the slalom, ahead of the American Mikaela Shiffrin, the best skier in history. The title was Canada’s first in slalom in over 60 years. A graduate in computer science from the University of Vermont, where she returned to the stage, St-Germain is pursuing a master’s degree in biomedical engineering at Polytechnique Montréal. His victory is that of balance and resilience. “I love skiing, it’s my passion, but I have so many things in my life that I don’t need skiing to be happy,” the 29-year-old slalom skier told La Presse a few days after her triumph.
Pamela Ware could have collapsed after her Tokyo Olympics humiliation, where a botched takeoff forced her into the water on her final attempt in the 3-meter springboard semi-final. This kind of mistake happens to all divers, even the best. As fate would have it, the native of Greenfield Park suffered this affront before the eyes of the whole world. The 30-year-old took time to rebuild, trying to come to terms with his dive before crossing it off his list. She bounced back in a big way this year, winning the bronze medal at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Previously, she took silver at the World Cup in Montreal. In sync with her new partner Mia Vallée, she won silver at the World Cup super final in Berlin. She added two gold medals and a silver at the Pan American Games in Santiago to cap off the best season of her career. “I rediscovered my love for diving,” concluded the author of the comeback of the year in Quebec sport.
Mikaël Kingsbury is a subscriber to the end-of-year rankings, which goes without saying since he has dominated the freestyle skiing World Cup circuit continuously since 2012, with the exception of 2021, where a rare injury stayed away for a few competitions. The athlete from Deux-Montagnes probably had the best winter of his career, finishing first or second in each of his races, notably winning two gold medals at the World Championships in Georgia, a third consecutive double for the “King of bumps.” In his early thirties, the three-time Olympic medalist doesn’t feel like he’s slowing down. “I am lighter and stronger than last year,” he assured after his eighth world title. Before, athletes who were my age were at the end of their careers. Now, with the technology and care we have, I am physically ready for this Olympic cycle. »
Slowed by an injury during the summer, Laurent Dubreuil does not have the desired start to the campaign, but this rare slump should not overshadow his exploits last winter. The speed skater from Lévis won the silver medal in the 500m at the World Distance Championships in Heerenveen, the Netherlands. Only the young American Jordan Stoltz, who promises to be the skater of a generation, managed to beat the title holder. A testament to his consistency, Dubreuil concluded the World Cup season ranked first in the 500m for the second year in a row, while moving to second in the 1000m, a personal best for the Olympic silver medalist. over the distance. The 31-year-old sprinter attributes his hot streak to fatherhood. “I am less stressed than before when I arrive in a race, because I know that there are other more important things in life,” the father of a 4-year-old daughter and of a 1 year old boy.
Finalist a year earlier, Mary-Sophie Harvey could not be satisfied with her 11th place in the 200m individual medley at the World Championships in Budapest last summer. Especially since she had achieved the third fastest time in the series, a time which would have earned her fifth place in the final. The Trois-Rivières native nevertheless contributed to the Canadian team’s bronze medal in the 4X100m medley relay. Mary-Sophie Harvey bounced back brilliantly at the Pan American Games in Santiago, winning seven medals, including three gold. Fourth in the 100m freestyle, she missed out on an eighth medal by 14 hundredths of a second. The versatile swimmer particularly stood out in the 200m freestyle, where she managed an incredible final length to surf her way to the top of the podium. Last month, she improved her personal best over the same distance in the middle of a training period, an excellent omen for the future.
It’s one thing to experience progression by changing disciplines, it’s another to practically reach the peak of your new sport after your thirties. After a long career in short track, Valérie Maltais continues to impress in long track speed skating, which she launched into in 2018. The Olympic team pursuit champion did it again with another gold medal at the Worlds by distance from Heerenveen, in March. The La Baie native also placed fifth in the 3000m, a second and a half from the podium. Crowned in the 1500m and 3000m at the last Canadian Championships, ahead of triple Olympic medalist Isabelle Weidemann, the 33-year-old skater continued her momentum at the start of the World Cup campaign with two podiums in the mass start and a fourth place in the 5000m, a personal best. The four-time Olympian took inspiration from Laurent Dubreuil, her training teammate since last year. “It’s really about having confidence in what you feel and what you should do,” she told La Presse. He often repeated it to me. This is something I haven’t learned much during my career. »
Jean-Simon Desgagnés has had an extraordinary year. The runner from Quebec reached the final of the 3000m steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, placing eighth. He had finished 36th a year earlier! With a time of 8 min 15.58 sec, which places him third in Canada of all time, he missed automatic qualification for the Paris Olympic Games by dust. He should nevertheless be selected without problems since he occupies the very first place in the points ranking. The medical student at Laval University erased from the shelves the Quebec record of Olympian Alex Genest, which dated from 2011. Desgagnés won gold at the Pan American Games in Santiago before contributing to the silver medal in team of the Rouge et Or at the Canadian cross-country championships, where he finished in second place. ” I am 25. Theoretically, I’m not at my peak yet. It’s motivating,” Desgagnés rejoiced to La Presse. Special mention to his teammate Charles Philibert-Thiboutot, who improved his own provincial record in the 1500m (3:33.54) after eight years of futile attempts, before literally plunging to a spectacular gold medal at the Pan American Games from Santiago!
Since her defeat in the quarter-finals of the Beijing Olympic Games on July 31, 2021, Tammara Thibeault has not lost a single fight; a streak of 21 victories, the last 11 in 2023. A Canadian boycott of the World Championships prevented her from defending her middleweight title won the previous year. Never mind, the athlete from Trois-Rivières demonstrated that she was still the world leader by defeating almost all the top-ranked boxers in her category. At the Pan American Games in Santiago, she beat her four opponents by unanimous decision and referee stoppage, en route to the gold medal and qualification for the Paris Olympics, where she will certainly be the favorite. “I’m going there to win gold, I want to make history,” the 26-year-old left-hander announced to La Presse last month.
At 22, Elizabeth Hosking already has two Olympic Games under her belt. Continuing her irresistible rise, the Mille-Isles snowboarder achieved a feat by twirling towards the silver medal in the halfpipe at the World Championships in Bakuriani, Georgia. She thus became the first Canadian to reach the podium in this discipline. Before this success in a non-traditional discipline in Quebec, this accomplished athlete reached the World Cup podium twice, placing second in Copper Mountain, Colorado, and in Calgary. “There is only one title that would be more fun than that of vice-world champion and I think I would be able to obtain it very soon,” this X Games regular told Sportcom. Elizabeth Hosking has not finished making people talk about her.
Along with René Cournoyer and William Emard, Félix Dolci contributed to Canada’s fourth-place finish in the team all-around qualifying at the World Championships in Antwerp, which guaranteed the country’s ticket to the Paris Olympics, a first since 2008. The only Canadian representative in Tokyo, Cournoyer will therefore have company! In the final, the maple leaf finished seventh. Dolci reached two apparatus finals, settling in fifth on floor and eighth on high bar. “It gives a good idea of what I can do and it’s very promising for the future,” he told Sportcom. The Laval gymnast then flew through the Pan American Games in Santiago, winning five medals, including two gold in the individual all-around competition and the floor final. No Canadian had won the all-around title since 1963.
