Canoeing | Laurent Lavigne two seconds from happiness

No athlete gets satisfaction from finishing last. Even less so when it happens in the final competition leading up to the Olympic Games.

The Canadian K4 team finished ninth at the World Cup in Szeged, Hungary, in mid-May, trailing the dominant and unwavering Germans by 2.02 seconds when they crossed the finish line.

For reference, the Canadian team would not even have taken part in the A final at the Olympic Games, because only the eight fastest boats in the semi-finals qualify.

Laurent Lavigne and Pierre-Luc Poulin do not seem discouraged, however. When The Press went to meet them at the end of June, at the Olympic basin, the two kayakers had just secured their place in the Olympic boat. Their families had traveled for the occasion and there were people crawling around the edge of the training site of the best rowers in the country. The atmosphere was one of celebration. At least, on the surface.

In reality, away from the people who came to interrupt the interview to congratulate and encourage the two Quebecers, the latter acknowledged that they were fully aware of the challenge that awaited them at the Games. The tone used suggested no concern, but rather a great deal of caution. As if the two athletes, well aware of their situation, understood that deluding themselves by talking about the quest for a medal that would be difficult to obtain would lead nowhere.

Three years ago in Tokyo, the Canadian K4 had to settle for 10th place^e position.

It was about a year before Lavigne officially joined the senior national team quartet. [Depuis] “We didn’t have any extraordinary performances or any very bad performances. We stayed within our average,” said the 23-year-old Olympic rookie. The best result to date remains the fifth place obtained at the World Championships in Halifax, in 2022.

“When we finished fifth, it was very good for us,” Lavigne continued. “We still rely on that. We haven’t been fifth since. We underperformed a little, but nothing drastic.”

The ups and downs

During this Olympic cycle, the team lost two coaches. Samuel Raiche and Mathieu Pelletier both left the ship.

Disagreements with the federation and certain decisions have undermined the morale of the troops. Among them, the holding of another internal qualification process after the last World Cups. In other words, the places of the four kayakers who have been pushing together for three years and who qualified the Canadian boat were put back on the line.

A host of twists and turns and distractions like these have clouded the athletes’ preparations for the most significant and nerve-wracking moment of their careers.

While Lavigne describes “a difficult year that the Laurent of two years ago might not have managed as well”, Poulin admits that “it’s not optimal”.

“It requires a lot of adaptation. But there are four of us in the boat, we are here to support each other and work together,” adds the Lac-Beauportois.

Living in hope

Even though nothing guarantees the Canadian crew a place on the podium in Paris, the metal pendant that all the athletes dream of remains the team’s main motivation. In their group chat, on their phones, their profile picture illustrates the medals from Paris.

So hope remains and the target is set.

The fact remains that unlike some compatriots in other disciplines, returning to Canada without a medal would not represent a failure, especially considering their recent results.

“We want to put ourselves in medal position. To do that, we have to make the final. I guarantee you that if we make the final, we’re going to want the medal. But our brains think one step at a time,” says Lavigne, nevertheless pumped up.

In their sport, the margin between success and failure is infinitely thin. A stroke of the oar, a wave or a breath of wind can propel or sink the ship. According to Lavigne, the difference between a medal and a fifth place is found here: “in the bond of trust between the four of us on the starting line and how we feel mentally.”

Poulin also believes in the strength of numbers, sometimes fragile, sometimes imperturbable. Once on the starting line, the bulk of the work has already been done. But you have to be up to the task. To do this, everyone “has an individual responsibility to ensure they have a good day at the office.” “It’s up to us to know ourselves well. To perform on demand. And we have a team responsibility to make ends meet at the same time.”

Lavigne believes that a good kayaker, in a group, must learn “to put his ego aside.” If a single member of the team does too much, or not enough, the risks of skidding are immense. It’s all a question of rhythm.

But still, it would be a stretch to believe that once on the Parisian water, Lavigne, Poulin, and their allies Nicholas Matveev and Simon McTavish, will truly have their destiny in their own hands. There are so many imponderables. At least they find themselves in a situation where they have everything to gain and very little to lose.

Lavigne summed up his thoughts like this: “We want to do a race that we’re proud of. Whether we finish eighth or fourth, if we’ve done the best race of our lives, how can you blame yourself?”