Sophiane Méthot | “It seems like I don’t believe it yet”

Sophiane Méthot only recently listened to her performance at the Paris Olympics again. Even though weeks have passed, she is on a break from trampolining, she has traveled… the feeling remains the same.

“Honestly, it felt like I was like a third person watching me experience that moment. […] “I don’t seem to believe it yet,” the athlete says on the other end of the line.

Part of the trampolinist is still at the Arena Bercy in the French capital, where she performed the routine of a lifetime in the Olympic final. A routine that allowed her to win the bronze medal.

“I meet a lot of people and the first thing they talk to me about is trampoline, the Games. They congratulate me. It’s as if, a little bit every day, I relive that moment. It’s hard to come down from the cloud because it’s like I’m still living in it.”

After her Olympic competition, Méthot spent 10 days in France with her family before returning to Quebec for three days and then leaving for Mexico with friends. For the first time in a long time, she left with “an empty head.”

Her return home was “intense” afterward. While she remained “the same person” despite her new Olympic medal title, she received much more attention. Right and left, she was asked for conferences, galas, interviews…

“I’m really happy,” she says. “I’m enjoying all of this. I tell myself that the boom is right now, in the next four or five months, when they’re going to talk a lot about the Games. So, I’m enjoying it. There are lots of opportunities, doors that are opening up for me.”

One of these opportunities, she mentions, is to put her sport a little more forward in Quebec. Because like many amateur sports, trampoline is little known to the public.

“The fun part is that I’ve met a lot of people who tell me they’ve watched the competition. People who were never really interested in it. […] If we can calmly start putting the trampoline on the map Speaking of my medal, that would be great.”

A path full of detours

So let’s talk about trampolines.

Those who watched Méthot’s Olympic routine will remember it: the Quebecer delivered an impeccable performance at the best possible moment. Some athletes would have collapsed under the pressure of being on the world’s biggest stage. Méthot stood up.

While everyone was impressed by her mental strength, the main person concerned knew very well that she could do it. She “eats” pressure – her words, not ours. We will remember that she described herself, after her performance, as an “adrenaline bug”.

“It’s been since I was very young. When I’m underestimated, when the pressure is at its maximum, I like it,” she explains. […] That’s often where I do my best performances. In competition, I think the biggest pressure is put on myself. And I often put it on intentionally because I like it.”

Méthot is clearly proud of her performance on the Bercy trampoline, but in hindsight, she is especially proud of her preparation. It was in the eight months leading up to the Olympic competition, she says, that she put in the most effort and made the most sacrifices.

To reach the podium of the biggest international competition, Méthot followed a path that was neither easy nor straight. “There were many detours. Sometimes I even had to take a long step back,” she summarizes. In Paris, after her performance, she told us that she had faced mental blocks in recent years. Supported by her coach and her parents, she consulted various specialists.

“To think that there was a time when I was no longer able to get on the trampoline out of fear, and then… Four or five years later, I put in the performance of my life at the Games and I won a medal. They are two complete opposites.”

With her Olympic performance, she proved “that you can get through anything.” “With resilience, perseverance and effort, you can do it,” she insists. […] In Quebec, we have so many great resources.”

A new cycle

Even before leaving for Paris, Sophiane Méthot had made her decision: she would embark on a new Olympic cycle. While her short-term plans are to complete her master’s degree in finance at the Université du Québec à Montréal and to conclude her courses to become a coach, her long-term plans can be summed up in three words: Los Angeles 2028.

“I loved the last year of competition so much; it seems like that’s when I had the most fun pushing myself. Yes, it’s stressful, it’s a lot, but I’ve made such great progress over the last eight months. I tell myself: if I can continue like this…”

The Longueuil trampolinist feels that she still has “some reserve”, that she can set new goals and face new challenges in her sport.

For now, however, it’s time for a few months of “trampo break.” “I signed up for a half marathon, I’m doing CrossFit, spinning. Lots of stuff!” she exclaims.

A relaxing vacation, in other words.