Amélie Goulet-Nadon forced to put an end to her speed-skating career
Date: Mardi, avril 25 @ 20:38:28 PDT :: Topic: Athlete
 Amélie Goulet-Nadon had an amazing season on the World Cup circuit
in 2002-2003 (she won titles in 3 events and finished 2nd total), and
she was considered one of Canada's greatest hope for the Turino
Olympics. Forced to abandon because of a loss of motricity, Amélie now
needs to put an end to her career.
by Jean-Michel Lachance
traducted by Gabrielle De-Billy-Brown
It all began in summer of 2004, when she was trying to correct a detail
in her skating technique. She suffered a motricity problem at that
moment, cause by the loss of a motor pattern. Still fighting for a
place on the Olympic team, Amélie decided to cross out the Turino
Olympics, in order to give herself time to heal without the stress of
competition ruining her chances. Unfortunately, many months later, the
problem was still there.
«I've lost up to 80's of my capacities. I've managed to regain
between 50 or 60%, but it's nothing compared to what it used to be. And
the worst thing of all is, it's not for a lack of trying. It's
frustrating because it's wasn't a part of my plan for my life. Still,
I'm happy to manage to face this, because this isn't the last difficult
thing I'll have to fight against. Yes, it's breaking my heart, but it's
not the end of the world. I was thinking of retiring at 27, but it'll
happen sooner, at 23. I can't force things. If you keep doing it, you
stop going forward.»
«I'm still bitter when I think about what I could have done, but I
have no regrets. I've been blessed with wonderful moments. I've lived
so many beautiful experiences.»
Amélie always welcome
«Everyone hoped to see me come back, but I've never felt any
pressure from anyone. When I announced my decision to Guy Thibault and
Martin Gagné (the coaches), they told me I'd always be welcome, that
the door would always be open for me. It was very touching.»
Many projects for the future (from cyberpresse.ca)
A graduate in naturopathy, Goulet-Nadon wishes now to offer
consults in fitness centers and, one day, she would like to open her
own health centre. She would also like to teach others how to integrate
sports into their lifestyle. "I'm an athlete and I always will be", she
says. "I'm only more free to do whatever I want.", says the woman who
would like to run a marathon, someday.
Major achievements
| Competition Type |
Season |
Description |
| Olympic Games |
2002 |
Bronze 3000m Relay |
| World Championships |
2004 |
8th Overall |
|
2003 |
5th Overall, 2nd 500m, 2nd 3000 M Relay |
|
2002 |
5th Overall, 3rd 1500m |
|
Personal records
| Event |
Result |
Competition |
City |
Date Set |
| 500m |
44.184 |
2003 World Cup 5 USA |
Salt Lake City, UT (USA) |
Feb 8 2003 |
| 1000m |
1:32.020 |
2003 World Championships, Poland |
Warsaw (POL) |
Mar 23 2003 |
| 1500m |
2:24.977 |
2003 Canadian Open |
Calgary, AB (CAN) |
Mar 7 2003 |
| 3000m |
5:10.776 |
2003 World Team Championships, Bulgaria |
Sofia (BUL) |
Mar 15 2003 |
|
Photo: Amélie Goulet Nadon
Credit: Stéphanie Lambert, suprgrltx.com
|