Olympic standard? Checked. Chrono under 11 seconds? Checked. Canadian record? Checked.
Audrey Leduc doesn’t mess around with the puck. The new fastest woman in Canada achieved three goals in the space of a 100 meters on Saturday in Louisiana.
Three weeks after setting a provincial record in her first outdoor outing of the season, the sprinter from Gatineau overcame some technical hiccups to record a smoking time of 10.96 s in the 100 meters at the LSU Alumni Gold, a meeting presented in Baton Rouge.
Leduc pulled herself together after a rather slow start, by her standards, to overtake all the competitors except the American Aleia Hobbs, winner in 10.88 s.
Given the credentials of the winner, a finalist at the 2022 Worlds, the Quebecer suspected that she had a good race. She had confirmation of this when she saw the “10” appear next to her name on the indicator board. The automatic qualification threshold for Paris was therefore within reach (11.07), at the same time as it fell below the psychological bar of 11 seconds.
“Is this the Canadian record? », asked his trainer Fabrice Akué shortly after.
It was only at this precise moment that Audrey Leduc understood that she had achieved her third goal, that of breaking the national record. “We didn’t light it at the time! », Reacted the 25-year-old runner, contacted Monday afternoon in Louisiana, where she is continuing a relay course with the Canadian team.
Audrey Leduc therefore beat by two hundredths the mark which belonged to Olympic medalist Angela Bailey, author of a time of 10.98 s in Budapest in 1987.
In a “state of shock” after her first provincial record of 11.08 s, established during a clear victory in Florida, Leduc was less surprised by her time recorded on the “fairly fast” track at the Bernie Moore athletics stadium .
“Even though my race wasn’t technically perfect – there are still areas to improve – I knew where I was positioned when I finished. It was a good omen for the weather. There was a good chance it would be within 10 seconds. »
She was able to keep her calm despite a “not great” start. “I saw the others and I said: it’s okay. I knew they weren’t that far away. I’ll be able to catch up with them. »
A corridor separated her from Hobbs, so she did not see the second highest performer of all time over 60m to her right. So she continued to accelerate without taking into account her delay. His technique deteriorated a bit after that.
“In the end, it seemed like I was losing control of my body. I had trouble doing all the movements because it was so fast. »
Impressive progress
- 2019: 11.48
- 2021: 11.43
- 2023: 11.23
- 2024: 10.96
Leduc believes she became slightly disunited by trying too hard to get back on the leader. “If I had been able to maintain [ma technique], I could have caught her a little more. I was fighting against myself not to tilt my pelvis [vers l’avant]. It happens quickly too… 10.96 seconds. At this speed, it will be more difficult to maintain my position. It’s still positive to say that the race was far from perfect. Ultimately, it was great, but the execution could be better. »
“The media were all out to get me!” »
Two days after this feat, the new queen of Canadian sprinting made up for lost time by responding to the numerous messages received on her social networks. Its provincial brand has earned it a little media notoriety in Quebec. His successful thunderbolt in Louisiana, which placed him fifth in the world at the start of the season, took him to another dimension.
“I remain the same person, it doesn’t change me as a human,” she insisted. I feel the same as I did two days ago. It’s just that my level has increased. »
If Athletics Canada assigned a public relations officer to manage the obviously more numerous requests, the main person concerned had already established her priorities.
The media all wanted to get me this morning, but I’m in training! It’s great fun to have this visibility, but if you want to give me some, I have to run fast too!
Audrey Leduc
Aware of the new expectations – her own first – Leduc admitted to having been more nervous before the start of the competition on Saturday. She chased away the butterflies by taking part in a 4 x 100 meter relay, where she took the baton in third place. Her reception of the stick was not smooth enough for her liking, but her time was as fast as in Florida, which gave her confidence.
She therefore continues training in Baton Rouge, where she will participate in the LSU Invitational on Saturday. She plans to line up again in the relay and probably in the 200 meters to practice her finishing. The MBA student at Laval University will then fly to the World Athletic Relays in the Bahamas, where Canada will try to qualify for the Paris Games.
On an individual level, Audrey Leduc is almost guaranteed to take part in her first Olympic Games, which should be confirmed after the Canadian Championships in Montreal (June 27 to 30). A week earlier, she will line up for the Athletics Classic, also contested on the track of the Claude-Robillard sports complex, where the Canadian federation has established its national sprint center, of which Leduc is the main beneficiary.
“We have one of the best crowds for athletics in Montreal. Everyone says it and is happy to come. It’s going to be fun to be able to broadcast this and promote it. » It’s hard to find a better ambassador.
Another record for Fafard
PHOTO ANTOINE MINFRAY, TAKEN FROM THOMAS FAFARD’S INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT
Thomas Fafard on his way to victory Sunday in Vancouver
Audrey Leduc was not the only one to make history last weekend: Thomas Fafard took advantage of a quick trip to Vancouver to break the Quebec 10 km road record on Sunday. He won gold in the prestigious Vancouver Sun Run (45,000 participants), stopping the clock at 28:45, 15 seconds better than the previous benchmark which had belonged to Jean-Claude Nduwingoma since 2006. The rider from Repentigny thus ranks seventh all time in Canada. In January, in Houston, he broke another record in his very first half marathon (1 h 2 min 19 s). A few hours after his victory, Fafard took a flight to Arizona, where he is continuing an altitude training camp. On the track, the 25-year-old athlete was a medalist at the last three Canadian championships over 5000 meters. He will try to qualify over this distance for the Paris Games. “For the moment, only two Canadians have the standard,” indicated his coach Félix-Antoine Lapointe. It’s a big order, but he could top the world rankings. » Fafard will participate in two tough competitions in Europe after this internship in Flagstaff.