Gymnastics | William Émard: flexed biceps, he’s back

William Émard is not in the habit of showing off his biceps at every turn, he says. He made an exception on June 8, in Gatineau. Given the significance of this gesture, we will forgive him this time…

By finishing third in the all-around competition at the Canadian Artistic Gymnastics Championships, which gave him a great chance of qualifying for the Games, Émard proudly showed off his right bicep. The moment was immortalized; the photo, which the gymnast posted on his social media, speaks for itself… when you consider what he went through.

To understand this, let’s go back to February, when the men’s national artistic gymnastics team competed in its first Canadian competition of the season in British Columbia. The first day went well for Émard, who performed on four of the six apparatus. On the second day, the gymnast experienced a slight weakness in his right biceps.

“Maybe I’m just tired, I didn’t recover well from the first day. It should pass,” he thinks.

After the competition, the discomfort intensified. Twenty-four hours later, on the plane back to Montreal, his biceps was “really stiff.” “I feel like I’m lacking strength, like there’s a delay in my contraction. It really doesn’t feel good.”

In 2022, Émard partially tore his left biceps; it was one of the most difficult events of his career. This time, the sensations are in his right biceps, but they are similar. It is the same movements that cause him pain. “Oh, fuck,” the athlete thinks.

In the weeks that followed, Émard consulted Team Canada’s doctor. They agreed to make an appointment with an orthopedist for a platelet-rich plasma injection. Except that said orthopedist was on vacation and away for three weeks.

In his head, the gymnast counts the days. Having lived it, he knows that rehabilitation for this type of injury takes 10 weeks. It is February 22. On June 6, the Olympic selections take place. The calculation is simple.

“I did physiotherapy, massage therapy, osteopathy, acupuncture. I went to see a chiropractor who I was referred to, knowing that he is really good. I really tried to do everything in those three weeks to try to improve my situation. In the end, not at all: nothing improved.”

Those three weeks of waiting were a “nightmare,” but Émard remained hopeful. “I was the only one who believed in it, that I still had a chance,” he recalls.

“Are you going to the Games?”

Émard finally meets the orthopedist on March 13. The latter suggests that he have an injection two days later. And that’s when the 10-week rehabilitation begins, which takes him to May 24, barely two weeks before the selections. An “ultra tight” schedule.

Guided by his physiotherapist, he tries to train as best he can, without “pushing the machine”. The 1^er In May, he took part in a panel discussion for Radio-Canada with diver Caeli McKay.

“You get asked questions like: Are you going to the Games? You say: I believe in it. But if you look at me training right now, these are not programs that I’m doing at all. I’m really far from where I’m supposed to be.”

“Caeli said: once you are at the Games or you qualify, you will be able to do a bicep curl and that will mean everything. It will be your celebration.”

That week, during a training session, Émard was discouraged. He felt like his condition was not improving despite his efforts and patience. He “exploded with frustration”. “Fuck, estie, it’s not moving forward!” the 24-year-old athlete said before taking his keys and leaving.

The next day, when he returns to the gym for training, things “unblock”. From there, the improvements finally begin to be felt.

Émard documents his ten weeks of rehabilitation in videos that he shares on his social networks (Instagram and TikTok). Many athletes write to him to encourage him.

During these two and a half months, the gymnast continued to see his sports psychologist. With his injury, the plan changed “14 times in 3 months”. “It was to say: it’s possible that I won’t do the six apparatus as I wanted to do.”

Even if he is positive, Émard must realize that his “crazy idea” may not work. “It’s almost more mental management than physical management. It’s about managing the questions, the “are you going to the Games?” all the time.”

The return

With patience, positivity and, above all, hard work, Émard made it. When he arrived at the Olympic trials, his biceps were at 95% capacity. He refrained from doing a few signature movements on the rings in order to avoid another injury.

He was nervous when he arrived, it was his first competition in several months. And it was of capital importance. But he did very well, which allowed him to finish in third place behind his teammates Félix Dolci (1^er) and René Cournoyer (2^e).

And that’s when he makes his bicep curl.

A bicep curl which means “I’m back”.