Alex Boisvert-Lacroix

Most influential person in career	Coaches Gregor Jelonek and Stephen Gough. (Athlete, 12 Nov 2017)
Hero / Idol	US basketball player Michael Jordan, Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)
Memorable sporting achievement	Finishing on top of the podium at a World Cup event for the first time in 2017 in Calgary, AB, Canada, and winning a bronze medal in the 500m at the 2016 World Single Distances Championships in Kolomna, Russian Federation. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Each athlete is different." (Athlete, 08 Feb 2017)

www.facebook.com/alex.boisvertlacroix

Club / Team	Sherbrooke Speed Skating Club: Canada
When and where did you begin this sport?	He took up the sport at age six in Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
Reason for choosing this sport	"I was taking a skating lesson as a child and after my practice I saw some older kids do some racing. I told my parents I wanted to do races."
Name of coach	Gregor Jelonek [national], CAN

Other information	OCCUPATION He completed his studies in sports teaching in 2017, which he had started 10 years earlier. After the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, he began working at the College Jean Eudes in Montreal, QC, Canada, where he teaches physical education. "My objective as a sports teacher is to transmit my passion for sport. I hope the kids will see my passion and that might inspire them to achieve." (ici.radio-canada.ca, 20 Apr 2018) OLYMPIC PERFORMANCE He went into the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang hoping to win a medal, following three podium finishes in the World Cup season leading up to the Games. However, he ended up placing 11th in his event [500m] in Pyeongchang. "I wanted a [Olympic] medal so badly because it was achievable. [But] my coach was the first to come and see me and say I was not allowed to be disappointed, that I had to hold my head high. If I look back to where I was two years ago, I would have been happy just to have been at the Olympics, regardless of the result." (ici.radio-canada.ca, 07 Mar 2018) MOVE TO SPEED SKATING Having made his international debut in short track in 2007, he contracted glandular fever and missed out on the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, which prompted a switch to speed skating. "[It] came at a bad time, I needed to change something. I had reached a certain plateau [in short track] that I was unable to overcome. That's when I decided to test my skills in speed skating." (alexboisvertlacroix.weebly.com, 22 Nov 2015) LUCKY SHIRTS He likes to wear a number of old lucky t-shirts under his suit during competitions. "For example, there are a few t-shirts that my mother wore when she played volleyball at a high level. There's another that I used to wear in primary school with my favourite team on it, the Chicago Bulls, because Michael Jordan is my hero." (alexboisvertlacroix.weebly.com, 22 Nov 2017)
Awards and honours	In 2017 he was named International Male Athlete of the Year at the 36th edition of the Merite sportif de l'Estrie in Quebec, Canada. (radio-canada.ca, 02 Feb 2017)
Injuries	He sustained a herniated disc in his back during the 2018/19 season. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)
Hobbies	Watching movies and television series, eating out. (alexboisvertlacroix.weebly.com, 22 Nov 2015)
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs	He has a number of old t-shirts that carry special meaning for him, which he wears under his suit during competitions. (alexboisvertlacroix.weebly.com, 22 Nov 2017)
Other sports	He has represented Canada in short track. He finished third in the 500m at the 2007 World Cup event in Harbin, People's Republic of China. (SportsDeskOnline, 02 Dec 2015; alexboisvertlacroix.weebly.com, 22 Nov 2015)