At the dawn of the Paris Games, The duty met with Quebec athletes to watch to discuss the media attention, the frenzy of the event and life after.
In her pre-Olympic year, sprinter Audrey Leduc hit hard: two Canadian records (100 m and 200 m) and a Quebec record (60 m). Overnight, all eyes were on this athlete who was previously unknown to the general public. In Paris, in a few days, she will take part in three events (100 m, 200 m and 4 x 100 m relay). Portrait of this 25-year-old athlete who is turning heads.
Audrey Leduc arrives at the Claude-Robillard centre alongside her agent, Nicolas Métayer. Since she broke the Canadian record in the 100 m on April 20 by clocking a time of 10.96 seconds in the premier event of the Olympic Games, journalists have wanted to see her in action. She had to surround herself with people to manage the multiple demands. “The days and the training sessions are no longer the same. We have to stay focused on our task. There will always be a block, a line and a distance to cover,” explains her coach, Fabrice Akué.
The Olympic dream
“My dream has always been to go to the Olympic Games, but the confidence really came this year,” says Audrey, met on the sidelines of an active recovery training session.
It was her parents who introduced her to athletics, around the age of 10. “I was always in the topsbut never number one.” The Gatineau native also played soccer at the time, which ensured a balance between individual and team sports. But everything really came together this year, in the winter, when she broke the Quebec record in the 60 metres. “I think I’ve reached a level of confidence that allows me to surpass myself. Yes, I have confidence in my abilities, but that comes mostly from my technical background. Everything happens at the right time, in the right place.”
The challenge is great for the 25-year-old athlete, who will compete in not one, but three events at the Olympic Games. “It’s wonderful, a Canadian record, but it will be even better if I can beat those times at the Games,” says Audrey Leduc hopefully. And on the training side, they’re not changing a winning formula. “We won’t do more training, but the opposite. We want her to arrive there rested,” says Fabrice Akué.
While the young athlete has surprised many this season, her prowess does not surprise the man with whom she has been training since her debut at Université Laval in 2019. “Seeing her achieve is impressive. But I am a man of vision, and what happens is just my plan coming true,” says Fabrice Akué. In the months leading up to Audrey setting her records, her training times continued to improve. “We are talking about a diamond in the rough. You just have to take the time to develop it,” he proudly emphasizes.
Coping with media attention
The previous Canadian women’s 100m record had been held by Olympian Angela Bailey for 36 years. Audrey Leduc is excited to see her sport, sprinting, back in the spotlight thanks to her sub-11-second performances. But to respond to all the attention, she’s had to surround herself. “The team around me has changed. I can’t control all this media attention. My job“It’s about going to train and compete,” explains the woman who assures that she doesn’t feel any additional pressure. Above all, she is happy to introduce people to the world of athletics.
The only pressure is she who puts it on herself. “There are the expectations of the public and everything that goes with it, but as I [le] reminds her that it will always be her against herself. Will the technical elements have been executed, no matter how big the event is,” her coach adds.
And since their goal is for her to arrive at the peak of her form at the Olympic Games, the rest days become essential, despite the multiple interviews. “When she is resting, she is resting. We have to keep an eye on that aspect so that she arrives in Paris in full possession of her means.”