On the terrace with… | The four lives of Bruny Surin

This summer, our journalists are spending time on the terrace every week with personalities for a friendly discussion. André Dubuc met Bruny Surin.

The post-sporting career of the 1996 Olympic gold medalist is not slowing down. To the activities of his foundation, his company Sprint Management and his conferences, Bruny Surin added the responsibilities of chef de mission of the Canadian delegation to the 2024 Olympics.

” I do not get bored. I do things that I love. Life and sport have given me a lot. I have opportunities in my businesses. How not to give back? asks the co-holder, with Donovan Bailey, of the Canadian record in the 100m since 1999.

The Press met the sprinting legend on the popular terrace of the h3 restaurant in the Humaniti complex, in Montreal’s Quartier international. He elegantly wears a colorful shirt created by the company Au Noir with which Surin Clothing has entered into a partnership.

“Lately, we launched four Surin shirts by Au Noir. We are working on six other shirts and on clothes that will be offered before the holidays,” says the graduate of the École d’entrepreneurship de Beauce while sipping a Jardin de ville, a cocktail mixing Tanqueray No. 10, chartreuse verte, lime, cardamom, thyme and tonic.

His message to athletes

Between sips, the father of two grown daughters, Katherine and Kimberley, talks about his appointment as Chef de Mission for the Canadian team. In his case, the fourth time was the right one since he had submitted his name, without success, for the Games of 2012, 2016, then those of 2020. The sportsman now aged 55 does not complain not. “Paris, I did all the competitions in France. I know lots of people there. I’m so happy. »

How is athletics doing in the country? “In Canada, it’s okay. In Quebec, the middle distance is doing very well. For the sprint and the jumps, we have work to do”, agrees the one who passed his level 3 national coach exams in the discipline.

As a good diplomat, the gold winner in the 4 X 100 m relay at the Atlanta Games refuses to quantify the hopes of medals in the City of Light. “There is going to be pressure for everyone, but I want to tell them [aux athlètes] : have to fun. »

Don’t think the headliner of the Canadian delegation doesn’t take their responsibilities seriously.

Result: yesterday’s sprinter racked up the miles like a long-distance runner. “I went to the canoe-kayak world championships in Halifax. I went to the Rugby World Championship. This week, I was at Parc Jean-Drapeau. »

With his conferences that take him across the country – the Monday following our meeting, he was in Nova Scotia – Bruny Surin estimates that he spends about 40% of his time traveling outside the Montreal region.

On the other hand, he never set foot in Haiti. “I never went back there,” says the native of Cap-Haitien, who arrived in the country at the age of 7. “I often feel the need to go back, but people advise me not to go,” he resigns himself.

How does he explain the considerable contribution of Haitians to their host society? “The opportunities here are endless,” says the four-time Olympian who keeps in shape by going to the gym three times a week and swimming.

The importance of giving back

He urges prominent members of the Haitian community, such as the Chancellor of the University of Montreal, Frantz Saintellemy, to share their journey to inspire the next generation.

Giving back to young people is precisely the goal of the Bruny Surin Foundation, which runs two projects simultaneously. The first is to provide a basketball court in the courtyard of Louis-Joseph-Papineau high school, in the Saint-Michel district, where the champion spent his childhood. The second is to meet the basic needs of a quarter of the 600 pupils of a neighboring primary school, in collaboration with the Christian Vachon Foundation.

Mr. Surin estimates the financial need at at least $150,000. He is counting on the help of his real estate partner and friend Luc Poirier, who will cross Canada by bike, from Vancouver to Montreal, in June 2024. The funds raised will be donated to his foundation.

For the future, the unsuccessful candidate for the post of municipal councilor in Laval in 2019 would not say no to a post of senator if ever Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made him the offer.

To say that his life could have taken a completely different direction, he says.

In 1991, five years before his gold medal at the Olympic Games, Bruny Surin participated in the selections to integrate the professional club the Machine of Montreal of the World League of American football. Against all odds, coach Jacques Dussault selected him for the team’s official camp in Florida.

“In the meantime, I inquired about the potential pay with my teammates. I was told $20,000. Hey! I was already making $25,000 with the Videotron sponsorship. Do you think I was going to take $20,000 to get into it? I said no”, he says 22 years later without any regret in his voice.