Jennifer Abel knew deep inside her that this was the end of her great adventure from the moment she stepped out of the pool after her last dive in the 3-meter springboard final at the Tokyo Olympics on August 1. latest. Three and a half months later, she is definitely turning the page.
The eloquent 30-year-old diver officially announced her retirement on Tuesday in an email to the media titled, “Letter to the Little Métis Girl Who Wants to Dive.”
“I have experienced extraordinary moments in my career,” she concludes in this touching letter. Now is the time to start a new chapter. “
Last summer, Abel completed a fourth Olympic cycle, crowned with a silver medal in synch with Mélissa Citrini-Beaulieu. She bowed out with an impressive record of 128 medals on the international scene, including 10 at the world championships, making her the most successful Canadian diver at this prestigious event.
Hard times
Despite her successes, Laval’s career has not always been a smooth river. She notably experienced an identity crisis after the Games in Rio de Janeiro, after two fourth places.
“You will also know the reverse side of these medals,” she confides in her letter written in the second person. Disappointments, you will have them. Questions also. And one day you will go in search of your true identity outside the pool.
“It’s your two fourth places at the Rio Games in 2016 that will make you want to stop everything. Are you going to wonder who Jennifer is if she doesn’t win a medal? It will take you a while to fall in love with your sport again. But it will be a turning point in your life. It is in the face of adversity that you will learn to know yourself better… and to love yourself more. Not like the athlete; just appreciate the young woman. “
Despite the disappointment of the moment, Abel did manage to complete his last competition with a smile and the feeling of having been at the end of his dream.
“We will have talked to each other often, you and I, alone in our room in the Olympic Village in Tokyo. I asked you to hold my hand before my last one-on-one event. I was scared. I had no more benchmarks, I was exhausted. It was you, the little Métis girl who wanted to dive, who reminded me that the most important thing was to have fun; to smile. That whatever the outcome, I could be proud of myself.
“When we got out of the water after our last dive, we knew straight away that it was the end of it. The little girl had lived her passion to the end and she passed the torch to the other Jennifer, so that she could continue on her way. “
On his return to the country two days later, his boyfriend, boxer David Lemieux, undoubtedly confirmed his decision, making the big request in the middle of the terminal.
A precursor
Jennifer Abel, who was only 16 years old when she had her first Olympic experience in Beijing in 2008, paved the way for mixed-race divers.
“Before you, there were few Métis girls in diving,” she notes at the outset in her letter. Maybe because they’ve been told like you that black girls are found in athletics or basketball, and not at the pool. But you, your dream was to dive. You fell in love because your mom always told you that you can do whatever you want in life. And you did not listen to closed minds. “
When it comes time to turn the page, she therefore feels ready to take on new challenges.
“My life as an athlete prepared me for my adult life and now my new life as a mom. Today I know how to forgive myself after a failure, where to go to draw my strength in the face of adversity and with what energy one must work to succeed. “