ROAD TO PARIS 2024:
INS QUÉBEC AT THE HEART OF OLYMPIC PREPARATIONS

The Paris Olympic Games, to be held from July 26 to August 11, are just around the corner! As is the case with every event, whether summer or winter, the Institut national du sport du Québec (INS Québec) is at the heart of Olympic preparation, accompanying several athletes from the Canadian delegation to the world’s biggest sporting event.

Here, we present the athletes from six different sports whose National Training Centres are located at the INS Québec Complex in the Olympic Park, and who are sure to be keeping an eye on the French capital!

Judo

From left to right: Nicolas Thébault, Strength and Conditioning at INS Québec, Ana Laura Portuondo Isasi, Lu Bonnet, High-Performance Sport Advisor at INS Québec, Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard, Shady ElNahas, Arthur Margelidon, François Gauthier-Drapeau and Valérie Audet, Strength and Conditioning at INS Québec.

First of all, we’ll be keeping an eye on the seven Canadian judokas who will be competing at Aréna Champ-de-Mars from July 27 to August 3. Of the group, four are among the world’s top-5 in their respective categories, and one is ranked ninth.

Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (-63 kg), Christa Deguchi (-56 kg), Shady ElNahas (-100 kg) and François Gauthier-Drapeau (-81 kg). Arthur Margelidon, who will be competing in his third Games, is also among the favourites for the Olympic tournament, ranking ninth in the under 73 kg category. Kelly Deguchi (-52 kg) and Ana Laura Portuondo Isasi (+78 kg) will also be in action in Paris, their first appearance at the Olympic Games.

“The Canadian judo team has meticulously plotted its course over the past few years, honing its skills and spirit to prepare for the Olympic stage in Paris,” mentioned coach Antoine Valois-Fortier, who has competed in three Olympic Games himself, taking bronze at the London Games in 2012.

“With a number of top seeds on the team, we have every right to believe that these will be historic Olympic Games for the Canadian judo team.”

Artistic swimming

Lu Bonnet, High-Performance Sport Advisor at INS Québec, with Jacqueline Simoneau and Audrey Lamothe.

One of the greatest sporting stories of recent months is that of the Canadian artistic swimming team, which seized its last chance for Olympic qualification at the most recent World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar.

The return of veteran Jacqueline Simoneau was quickly felt and did not go unnoticed. Barely out of retirement, she made a big splash by being crowned solo world champion, the first Canadian since Sylvie Fréchette in 1992. Simoneau went on to qualify for the Olympic Games in duet with Audrey Lamothe, then helped Canada secure its ticket to the team events.

Scarlett Finn, Jonnie Newman, Raphaëlle Plante and Kenzie Priddell will also be taking part, as will Claire Scheffel and Florence Tremblay. Sydney Carroll will accompany the team as an alternate.

Artistic swimming will be presented from August 5 to 10 at the Centre aquatique de Paris.

Artistic gymnastics

René Cournoyer during training at INS Québec.

For the first time since the 2008 Olympic Games, the Canadian delegation will include a men’s artistic gymnastics team. René Cournoyer, Zachary Clay, Félix Dolci, William Emard and Samuel Zakutney will represent Canada in Paris.

Cournoyer is the only gymnast in the group to have taken part in a previous Olympic Games. Fourth at the World Championships, the team took silver a few weeks later at the Pan-American Games in Santiago.

At this competition, Félix Dolci shone, becoming the first Canadian in 60 years to win the all-around event at the Pan-American Games. He also won gold on floor, as well as bronze on rings and vault. Zachary Clay won gold on pommel horse in the Chilean capital.

On the women’s side, Ellie Black will become the first Canadian gymnast to compete in four Olympic Games. She will be joined by Shallon Olsen, Cassie Lee, Ava Stewart and Aurélie Tran.

Lee, Stewart and Tran all competed at the Pan American Games last fall, winning bronze medals in the team competition. Ava Stewart also won bronze in the beam final in Santiago.

Finally, Sophiane Méthot will become the first Quebecer to compete at an Olympic Games in trampoline. She was crowned Canadian champion in Gatineau in early June.

The artistic gymnastics events will be held from July 27 to August 5 at the Bercy Arena, while the trampoline events will start on August 2, at the same venue.

Fencing

From left to right: Julien Camus, coach, François Cauchon, Bruny Surin, Team Canada chef de mission, Lu Bonnet, High-Performance Sport Advisor at INS Québec, and

For the first time since 1996, Canadian sabreurs will form a men’s team at the Olympic Games! Farès Arfa, François Cauchon and Shaul Gordon will be competing, while Olivier Desrosiers will be a substitute. The Canadian team, gold medallists at the Pan-American Games in Santiago, is currently ranked tenth in the world.

In foil, Maximilien Van Haaster will be competing in his third Olympic Games in Paris. He will be joined by Blake Broszus and Daniel Gu for the team tournament. Bogdan Hamilton will be the alternate.

As in Tokyo, Canada will be represented in both men’s and women’s foil! Junior world champion Jessica Guo will team up with Eleanor Harvey and Yunjia Zhang for the occasion. The Canadians are ranked 5th in the world as a team.

Finally, Paméla Brind’Amour will be the only Canadian to compete in women’s sabre. This will be the Quebecer’s first Olympic Games after overcoming a number of injuries in recent years. She helped the country to a silver medal in the women’s sabre team tournament in Santiago, at its third Pan-American Games.

Boxing

Tammara Thibeault training in the hypoxic cube at the INS Québec Complex, under the supervision of INS Québec experts: Alexandre Clark, Strength and Conditioning, Mathieu Charbonneau, Sports Biomechanist and Scientific Advisor to Synergic Projects, and Nicolas Bourrel, Lead of Life Sciences.

Canada will be sending two boxing athletes to Paris. Tammara Thibeault will take to the ring in the 75kg class, and will be aiming for nothing less than a place on the podium.

The Quebecer reached the quarter-finals at the Tokyo Olympic Games. A few months later, she was crowned world champion. She went on to win gold at the Commonwealth Games and the Pan-American Games in Santiago. A sequence she will be aiming to continue at the Olympic Games.

“I’m very happy with all the success I’ve had, but I see it all as leading to something. It leads to the final piece, the Olympic title. That’s where I’m headed, and I know I have to dedicate myself to improving every day,” Thibeault told the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Wyatt Sanford is the other Canadian boxer to keep an eye on this summer. Originally from Nova Scotia, Sanford has been training in Montreal since 2017, at INS Québec. A gold medallist in Santiago, a performance that qualified him for his second Olympic Games, he will be fighting in the 63.5 kg category in Paris.

Sanford was also awarded a bronze medal in 2022 at the Commonwealth Games.

Water polo

The Canadian women’s water polo team, accompanied by Nicolas Bourrel, Lead of Life Sciences at INS Québec, and Lu Bonnet, High-Performance Sport Advisor at INS Québec.

The Canadian women’s water polo team came very close to having to write off its presence at the Paris Olympic Games. Silver medallists at the Pan-American Games in Santiago, they were looking to bounce back at the World Aquatics Championships in Qatar in February.

A loss to the Italians initially suggested that they had missed their chance, but the withdrawal of the South African squad opened the door to the Canadians, who eventually received the last available ticket to Paris.

The team is made up of : Verica Bakoc, Serena Brown, Axelle Crevier, Jessica Gaudreault, Shae La Roche, Rae Lekness, Elyse Lemay-Lavoie, Blaire McDowell, Hayley Mckelvey, Marilia Mimides, Kindred Paul, Clara Vulpisi and Emma Wright.

Canada finished eighth at the Doha World Championships in February. One thing’s for sure, qualifying in extremis was enough to motivate head coach David Paradelo‘s troops. The water polo matches will take place from July 26 to August 11 in Paris.

The athletes’ journey to Paris is a vibrant testament to the dedication and expertise of INS Québec. In Paris, our athletes will represent not only Canada, but also the know-how and excellence of its experts that INS Québec strives to cultivate and promote at every Olympic cycle.