Photo credits: Canadian Olympic Committee / Archives / RDS / Radio-Canada / La Presse

Q. What was the best moment for you out of your three Olympic Games?
A. “Wow! I don’t think I can pick just one best moment — there are so many! Each experience I had at different times in my life was unique and special for different reasons. Olympic experiences are such a whirlwind and so intense that we always want more. I have to say that at each closing ceremony, I said to myself that I wanted to do it all again.”

Q. What does the Olympic Games mean to you?
A. “It’s such an amazing event that brings everyone together! That’s why I’ve been involved, in a variety of ways, for almost 25 years. Following my career as an athlete, I had the opportunity to continue my Olympic passion by working with the media, before joining the COC staff team. My journey led me to serve as Chef de Mission for the Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer in 2016, among others, then Assistant Chef de Mission for the Rio Olympic Games that same year and Chef de Mission for Canada for the PyeongChang Olympic Games in 2018. My Olympic experience is the combination of a number of steps: steps forward, steps backward, tenacity, despondence, dedication and hard work.”

Q. Can you tell us about a difficult time in your career and what you did to overcome it?
A. “In 1992, I missed out on qualifying for the Albertville Olympic Games. It was a every dark period of my life. I realized that I was the problem. I was young and very talented, but I didn’t rank high enough because I let my social life take over. It was very difficult to admit this, but I didn’t let this setback get the better of me. I decided to pick myself up and work harder, but above all, much better. I believe my success on the ice in the following years demonstrates my determination to outdo myself.”

Q. How did you react to victory and defeat?
A. “They are big adrenaline rushes, and it’s tough to go from a superb performance to a big disappointment. However, I think I have a fairly good attitude toward both. I am able to analyze a performance fairly objectively, so I can learn from both situations.”

Q. What did you find the most difficult during your career as an athlete?
A. “There have been several periods in my life that have been testing, but some good has always come of them. I have to say that I found the year I retired very difficult. Despite the fact that I was ready to return to ‘normal life’ in 2002, it was a tall order to find something that was as exciting and stimulating as my sport. But I did find new interests later, including running my fitness centre for seven years, and then in the world of nutrition, communications, public relations, and now politics.”

Q. What do you miss most from your years as an athlete?
A. “Lots of things! First and foremost, the training, my teammates, the trips, the excitement. It was an extraordinary experience! Throughout my career and life, I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by mentors, people who have been involved in my sport and who have enabled me to develop not only as an athlete, but also as a person.”

Q. What do you take away from your athletic career?
A. “A good understanding of who I am and my limitations. What I experienced as an athlete helps me in my job today. I have brought the resilience that enables an athlete to be successful and the ability to work under pressure with me into politics. Sport has its ups and downs. No matter how hard you train, there will always be good runs and bad runs. But sometimes you need to be able to step back from a result in order to come back stronger.”

Q. When you look back at your athletic career, what are you most proud of?
A. “Having been able to learn from both the victories and the defeats. We are meticulous and disciplined, and as athletes we are not afraid of pressure, but I am glad that I was able to do things in an honest and authentic way and that I have been fortunate enough to make more good memories than bad.”