Antoine Valois-Fortier gave himself time to reflect on his return from the Olympic Games. His loss in the round of 16 at the Budokan in Tokyo left its mark.
“I looked at myself in the mirror and I couldn’t see the next few years getting any better. I have a little the feeling that the best is behind me in terms of athletic performance. I’m really not doing this for anything other than winning. Yes, I am passionate. But I wouldn’t do that without having the firm conviction that I have a chance to be world champion or Olympic champion. Arrived at this conclusion, the decision was a little obvious. ”
However, it is not easy. At 31, Valois-Fortier decided the time had come to retire about two months ago. He formalized it in front of his family, his relatives, the judo gang and the media in a Montreal hotel, Thursday morning.
If this choice is “extremely” difficult, it is because it means, for the native of Beauport, to put aside his biggest dream, that of becoming world or Olympic champion.
It really is something that energizes me the most, that motivates me on a daily basis. Of course, having that discussion with yourself is always difficult. But all in all, I am super proud of my career. I don’t think I could have done it any other way.
Antoine Valois-Fortier
For nearly a decade, Valois-Fortier carried Canadian judo on his shoulders, taking over from his friend and mentor, Nicolas Gill, who guided him in his thinking.
In 2012, they were already together when Valois-Fortier caused a surprise by winning bronze at the London Olympics. At 22, he became the third Olympic medalist in Canadian judoka history after Gill (1992 and 2000) and Doug Rogers (1964).
PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, PRESS ARCHIVES
Antoine Valois-Fortier at the London Olympics in 2012.
“It was the springboard for everything else,” he says.
Still, he must have convinced himself that this result was not due to a fluke. His doubts were erased two years later when he became world runner-up in Belarus. In 2015, he added bronze at the World Championships in Kazakhstan.
The scenario was perfect for the Rio Olympics, which was to be his big day. He bowed sharply in the first round of the draft. In front of the journalists, he cried all his drunk.
The Olympic cycle for Tokyo was very complicated. Operated on his left hip in 2016, he had six months of rehabilitation. Two years later, he returned to the operating table, this time to repair his back which had been causing pain for 10 years.
“This is the time when I had the female dog the most. I wasn’t sure it was going to work. Around me, I could see that not everyone was convinced either. Personally, having surgery on the spine at 28, it stressed me a lot. ”
In 2019, he returned to the podium at the Worlds, snatching bronze in Tokyo to equal Gill’s record. In total, he has won over 20 medals in World Cup-type tournaments.
Beyond the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, the pandemic has been a real stab at Canadian judokas. The ban on the practice of combat sports has been devastating. The quarantines imposed on travelers screwed up Valois-Fortier’s plans, unable to go up against the best in the world, which had always placed him in favorable conditions before major events.
“That’s the main factor, but there were a lot of other little things, like a rib injury two or three months before the Games. It was a curved ball in my preparation. ”
The Paris Olympics may well emerge in less than three years, he did not see himself reviving. Before the pandemic, he had thought of trying for a year in those under 90 kg. The postponement of the Olympics killed the project in the bud.
“I felt a bit exhausted. The past year has been difficult. I also have difficulty staying healthy. Every two or three months, there are small injuries that accumulate. Few things motivated me, except very distant goals. It was a sign to me that maybe it’s time to hang up my judogi. ”
PHOTO NATHAN DENETTE, ARCHIVES THE CANADIAN PRESS
Antoine Valois-Fortier at the Tokyo Olympics.
Valois-Fortier will not go very far. The bachelor in kinesiology and graduate of the second cycle in sports management will embark on coaching. 1er January, he will become the coach of the senior national team. “He will be the boss on the mat,” sums up Nicolas Gill.
The new coach is currently completing what is the equivalent of a Level 4 certification. As an intern, he is already accompanying the Canadian team to competitions, such as the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, last week.
“I would love to get a taste of high level competition, but from a different point of view. I wanna help the gang that’s in place to rise through the ranks and live the same trip than me. ”
Questions answers
From his beginnings on the tatami mats at the age of four, five years to his retirement at 31, Antoine Valois-Fortier has never forgotten a fundamental aspect of the practice of his sport: pleasure. Burst questions with the new retiree:
What do you remember from your career?
Antoine Valois-Fortier: “I had a lot of fun. I am a guy who is extremely passionate about what I have done. I wish I could do it for another 10 years. ”
What are you most proud of?
AVF: “It’s hard to measure, but if I can have had an impact, have left a kind of imprint, be a good memory for people. Ah, when Antoine was there, it was cool, when Antoine was there, it was fun. Of course, my bronze medal in London is still a great memory. I’m also very proud to have come back from a harder period physically, from 2016 to 2018, to win bronze at the 2019 World Championships. ”
What was the funniest moment in your career?
“There have been too many! Athletes are often described as people who have sacrificed everything, who make daily efforts and blah-blah-blah. Me, I just had so much fun that I sometimes have trouble with that speech. I want to say: hey, me, I had a lot of fun training hard every week with the gang here or in training camp! ”
Your hardest fight?
AVF: [Il réfléchit] “Am I allowed to answer something super cliché like: my fight against myself over the years?” No, no, that’s not true! I have trouble naming one. In my early years in senior years, there were some slightly demoralizing times. I did training camps where I fell a lot and I didn’t drop a lot… ”
A fight that you would like to resume?
AVF: “There are a few guys that I haven’t been able to beat in my career. I would have liked to retire thinking to myself that I have beaten every opponent I have faced at least once. Unfortunately, it is not the case ! ”
The friendliest opponent?
AVF: “There are a lot of them. The overwhelming majority are very sympathetic. I had a good relationship with the majority of my opponents. ”
The most difficult opponent to face?
LVF: “The opponent against whom I really have the least resplendent record, the Japanese [Takanori] Nagase. Not only have I never beaten him, I would even say that I never came close to beating him. I met him in the final at the Montreal Grand Prix in 2019. I was pumped up to myself, telling myself that home ground was going to change everything. Unfortunately, that was not the case! ”
What will you miss the most?
AVF: “Probably the feeling to end your day with a victory. This feeling of accomplishment of having responded present and performing on command during a great competition. ”
What you won’t be bored of?
AVF: “I’m 31 and started under 81 kilos when I was 16. I have always stayed in the same weight class. I’ll admit that in the end, the damn scale wasn’t my best friend. I was starting to find it heavy not to have dessert and drink water at my sister’s party… ”
The medal that changed everything
PHOTO JASON RANSOM, ARCHIVES THE CANADIAN PRESS
Antoine Valois-Fortier holding his bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Nicolas Gill received a friendly warning from a Own the Podium representative ahead of the London 2012 Olympics: “You do a good job, but if you don’t win a medal, you lose your funding. ”
This possibility never crossed the mind of the coach during the competition. His only wish was that each of his judokas fight to the best of their ability. Nonetheless, Antoine Valois-Fortier’s bronze medal, which few experts had seen coming, was crucial in the future of Judo Canada.
“Antoine was a turning point in our history,” says Gill almost 10 years later. “We were a little bit low and under pressure regarding the funding of Own the Podium. Its emergence came at the right time and its performance was decisive in the future for the organization. ”
The Director General of Judo Canada is convinced that he would not be in office for a long time without this London podium. It was out of the question for him to continue leading the troops without a high performance program worthy of the name. “I should have recycled myself into something else! ”
At the same time, young athletes began to make their marks on the international stage. Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard became world junior vice-champion in 2013. Arthur Margelidon finished fifth. That same year, Jessica Klimkait won the world cadet title.
In Tokyo, Beauchemin-Pinard and Klimkait won two medals for Canada, a historic high. Margelidon came to a victory to add a third.
For Gill, who retired himself at 32, it was no coincidence. “These are all athletes who have benefited from a much better structure and funding. We have just seen the two best Olympic cycles in our history. It all happened as a result of Antoine’s medal. ”
Beyond the money, the attitude of the judoka also weighed heavily.
“At the time, we wanted to change the culture of the organization, raise standards,” notes Gill. Antoine was a great athlete to show the way. He is a very serious boy, on his business, very motivated, professional. We could not have chosen a better model. He had an influence in daily training, in building athlete confidence, in realizing that it was possible to win medals. ”
The CEO is convinced that he has found the perfect coach to lead the troops to greater heights.
“He has extraordinary technical and tactical knowledge and skills. The same goes for his understanding of judo and training. This is combined with ambition, a work ethic and a determination that goes way beyond the average. He also has beautiful human qualities. He has everything to be as good a trainer as he was an athlete, if not better. ”