While the countdown to the Tokyo Olympics is well underway, Acadian runner Genevieve Lalonde is fine-tuning her preparation.
The athlete still took a short break from his training to give an interview to Telejournal Acadie.
Even if the pandemic has thrown many obstacles on her road to these games, Genevieve Lalonde is fully enjoying this second Olympic experience within the Canadian team.
The first time, I realized a childhood dream. We don’t necessarily think we’re going to have a second chance to live this dream! For me, this is a goal that I have been working on as much as possible for years. It’s the Olympics! she launches, laughing heartily.
A stretched Olympic cycle
Preparation and training, in the midst of the pandemic, was quite a challenge. Genevieve Lalonde recognizes this straight away. Of course there was a pause. The dream was postponed for a year. But I was lucky to be able to continue, a chance that not everyone had.
We had to adjust the training. It is not normal to see an Olympic cycle lengthened to five years! And then coming back to the competition, it was totally different with the restrictions, no crowd cheering us on, checking what is open, what is closed.
Genevieve Lalonde knows it, this Olympic experience will be different from that lived in Rio in 2016. When asked the question, she says she hopes to be classified among the top ten. But, one step at a time.
I will try to perform as best as I can to get to the final. In the past, I was so focused on qualifying for the finals, that in the final, I wasn’t sure what to do next. My goal was achieved. I intend to represent Canada well, but also to have fun.
As sport is unpredictable in nature, there are no guarantees, especially in the 3000m steeplechase. It’s an obstacle course. You never know what’s going to happen , concludes Genevieve Lalonde, laughing.