He will not say it, out of humility and fear of attracting bad luck, but Laurent Lavigne should participate in his first Olympic Games in the summer. The kayaker speaks of Paris in the conditional tense, even if everything indicates that he will be able to go there with the feeling of having accomplished his duty.
While optimistic, Lavigne remains on guard. Last summer, at the World Championships in Duisburg, Germany, the Canadian K4 obtained its Olympic quota. Even though Lavigne and his teammates Pierre-Luc Poulin, Nicholas Matveev and Simon McTavish performed well, none of them got their ticket to France. In short, the Canadian boat qualified for the Games, but not the crew members.
“When we qualified the quotas, lots of people congratulated me on having qualified for the Games, even though I wasn’t! »
On the other end of the line, Lavigne’s voice is a little hoarse. At the time of the call from The Press, It’s 7 a.m. in San Diego. The 22-year-old had just rolled out of bed to begin another day of training at the Olympic Athletes Training Center. A place “conducive to high performance” where Lavigne and his teammates are housed, fed and treated with great care with a training room and a lake made available to them.
The Canadian team held its first practice of the season in this picturesque location on the west coast of the United States a few days ago. And without having officially confirmed his qualification within the Olympic quartet, because there are still trials in Montreal at the end of June, Lavigne is moving quite considerably closer to a place on the plane that will transport the Canadian delegation to in the country of Mitterrand in mid-July.
In K1, he took third place in the 500 m and fourth in the 1000 m. In addition to finishing in first place at K2 over 500 m. The Trois-Rivières resident describes the results as his “best at senior level”.
Conclusive tests
These Nationals served as a barometer to measure the progress of Canadian athletes. It was, after all, the first competition of the season. They were also useful for “proving that we are still the best.” We still had to prove ourselves,” said Lavigne about his three teammates.
The presence of the same quartet having finished 10e at the last Worlds is almost a formality. However, it is impossible to take Lavigne at his word. “This is a step in the right direction. It’s sport, there is nothing acquired. The results tell me that the preparation is going well. »
His goal at the start of the season has nevertheless been achieved. “After the Worlds last year, I had one thing on my mind and that was to be the best version of myself when I arrived at the trials. »
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Laurent Lavigne training at the Olympic pool at Parc Jean-Drapeau, in Montreal
He will be able to attack the rest of his short season with confidence between now and the Olympic meeting. Before paddling in French waters, Lavigne and company will have a single international competition, in May, in Hungary, to complete their preparation.
A timetable far from optimal from which the team will have no choice but to work to arrive in Paris prepared.
“In an ideal world, we would like to do more,” says the kayaker, “but it’s a double-edged sword. If we stay in Europe to compete, we lose weeks of training and preparation in Montreal. It’s the coaches’ decision. »
Preparation work
Laurent Lavigne was therefore preparing to start his training day after the interview. Fresh fruit for lunch, sunglasses on his head, he just wanted to disturb the calm of Lower Otay Lake.
Three months before the Olympic Games, he oscillates between training at full speed and the desire to limit the risks of injury and fatigue. According to the main person concerned, finding this happy medium is a daily battle.
Basically, I love training and pushing myself in training. And with the motivation of the Games, I’m all in on training, but I keep in mind that I have to pay attention to my body, both physically and mentally.
Laurent Lavigne
When some of those close to him congratulated him too prematurely for the Olympic qualification he has yet to earn, Lavigne began to ponder a question he never thought he would ponder.
“I was wondering if I would rather be already qualified. And ultimately, I think I’m glad to know that I’m not yet. »
He would gladly accept an Olympic ticket, but this wait until the realization of his biggest dream forces him not to skimp on efforts. Looking back, having to wait until the end of June is something of a blessing for Lavigne. “If I had known a year in advance, I’m not saying I would have taken it lightly, but it wouldn’t have been the same. Not knowing allows me to focus even more on preparation. It’s also part of the experience. »
This experience is his and he embraces it completely. Between now and June 23, the date of the next trials, he will undoubtedly continue to be asked if he will go to the next Olympic Games, but his answer will be the same until the national holiday: “We’ll see. I take it one day at a time. »