Sometimes, when the bar is high and expectations are high, the pressure can play tricks on athletes, but that’s not what happened to Julievillois Samuel Darveau in short track speed skating and Laurianne Alain in ringette, because their two respective teams won gold at the recent Canada Games.
In short track, Quebecers were favorites to win the relay and that’s what our representatives did during this major cross-Canada competition held on Prince Edward Island. It should also be noted that the five skaters and five speed skaters in the competing delegation won 19 medals out of a possible 26, including eight gold out of a possible ten!
For his part, Samuel Darveau was on the podium three times in the individual events, with bronze medals in the 500 meters, 1,500 meters and in the 3,000 meter points race. Note that in the 1,500 meters, the 19-year-old athlete finished fifth. A very good harvest for this promising athlete!
In ringette, the Quebec women trailed 3-0 at the start of the second quarter in the final against Alberta, but they did not give up. They scored once late in the second and twice in the third to tie the game. For her part, goaltender Annie Trudel, from Mirabel, made a crucial save with 28 seconds left in regulation time. In the fourth minute of overtime, Éléonore Sézia, of Sainte-Catherine, allowed her teammates to get their hands on the coveted gold medal!
“We are really proud! We stayed calm the whole game! exclaimed head coach Audrey-Anne Plante, of Carignan. “They didn’t panic, they believed in themselves, like since the start of the season. It was a sense of deja vu from four years ago, but with a new gang, it’s amazing! »
