For the first time in almost 30 years, a men’s sabre team (a type of sword used in fencing) is representing Canada at the Olympic Games! Better yet, this team is made up of three Quebecers. But THE good news is that one of them is a friend of the As ! He will give us news during the Games. Let me introduce you to him!
Olivier Desrosiers is 19 years old. He lives in Rosemère and has been fencing since he was 7! Why did he choose this sport? “Honestly, it was really a coincidence,” says Olivier. “It was my third choice among extracurricular activities at my elementary school. I didn’t even know what fencing was. But as soon as I tried it, I really, really liked it!”
Olivier specializes in sabre. When you fight with sabre, you can hit your opponent with the whole blade, not just the tip (as is the case with foil or épée). So you have to be very fast to outwit and hit the other person. “There is a lot of explosiveness with sabre. It’s very fast!”
Full-time training!
It’s no secret: to improve and become good at anything, you have to practice. What does fencing training look like? “In preparation for the competition, it’s about nine two- to three-hour training sessions per week. You have to add physical training (weight training, cardio). And that’s about four one-and-a-half-hour training sessions per week.” Phew! And Olivier doesn’t just do that: he studies in… too!
Olivier at the Paris Games
The sabre competitions will take place on July 31. Olivier is a substitute player, meaning that if one of his teammates gets injured or cannot fight, he will take his place.
Olivier also agreed to be the eyes and ears of the Info ace during the Games! Wondering what the athletes’ apartments look like or what they eat during their stay there? You can count on Olivier to tell us EVERYTHING about what goes on behind the scenes at the Paris Games. Visit the website of Info ace to hear from him!
We wish our fencers good luck!
Caroline Bouffard
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