Audrey Leduc of Gatineau, Que., doesn’t know what’s subsequent and, if all is going to devise, doesn’t need to believe the use of what is going to quickly be her two levels from Université Laval.
Not like lots of her Canadian sprinting friends, Leduc, 22, remained in Canada after highschool as a substitute of chasing the NCAA dream that many dangle in prime esteem. With a bachelor’s in psychology from Laval and lately in pursuit of an MBA, the theory of a occupation in trade or lecturers is at the again burner for now, as she eyes an Olympic berth—and probably extra.
Canada’s quickest lady will take at the country’s absolute best on the Bell Canadian Olympic Trials on Friday evening in Montreal. She is taking a look to clinch her spot at Paris 2024 (which is all however respectable), having already run Olympic-standard occasions within the 100m and 200m.
Audrey Leduc is having rather the season as Canada’s breakout sprinter forward of Olympic trials and Paris 2024.
Lately in Atlanta, she smashed the Canadian girls’s 200m document, completing in 22.36 seconds.
She set the 🍁 100m document previous this yr.
percent.twitter.com/h5jkzOJFLe— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) June 1, 2024
“My purpose was once going to be to stick in Québec and Canada to turn out that athletes can nonetheless make it at the global level, and Laval has been where to try this,” she advised Canadian Working, praising the college’s skill to give a boost to most sensible athletes and the continuity she’s been in a position to succeed in beneath trainer Fabrice Akué, who moved together with her from Québec Town to Montreal’s nationwide coaching centre.
“With the ability to compete with the Rouge et Or and having the opportunity of categories on-line is important, as a result of we have now such a lot of meets out of doors Canada, and the college has been an ideal give a boost to,” stated Leduc.
This season, regardless that, has been moderately sudden, and learning remotely has been important to her good fortune. Lining up in Laval’s pink and gold colors throughout america and around the globe, Leduc raced to a 100m document of 10.96 seconds in Baton Rouge, L. a.., and a 200m document of twenty-two.36 in Atlanta—preventing the clock in occasions that will surprise her opposite numbers within the NCAA.
“It may be overwhelming from time to time,” she stated. “It’s been thrilling to be in a spot to chase information and get the Canadian 100m and 200m information, and to proceed what I used to be doing all through the indoor season, now within the outside season.”
At the start of the yr, her purpose was once to compete at Paris 2024. She’d was hoping her Global Athletics score can be sufficient to qualify her, and that she would no longer essentially wish to qualify on occasions. But, because the season has worn on and her fighters have completed complete seconds in the back of her, the truth set in that she was once Canada’s quickest lady, and had gotten to that time via U SPORTS.
Whilst being in Canadian college recreation has allowed Leduc to be on the most sensible of competitions since coming in as a first-year student-athlete, she says it’s the crew awards that stand out (e.g., successful a crew bronze medal on the Laval-hosted RSEQ championships). After all, she performed a large function in that crew podium, successful the 60m and lengthy bounce occasions, raising the Rouge et Or to the rostrum steadily occupied by means of large Ontario colleges.
For anyone who has gathered apparently numerous information and was once lately named the 2023-24 U SPORTS Athlete of the 12 months, there’s nonetheless a component of outrage for Leduc. She has damaged out so briefly in Canadian sprinting whilst wearing a way of pleasure, no longer just for her college and nation, but additionally for the machine that she’s confirmed has value.
“The NCAA could be a nice alternative, however I don’t really feel like I neglected anything else staying in Canada,” she stated. “As a result of we have now fewer elite-level athletes, you’ll be able to win extra and feature extra self belief via that, and that will let you expand as a way to succeed in the next point after college.”
Now comes the laborious a part of turning velocity and wins right into a occupation, one that may proceed even as soon as she crosses the end line a last time. However for now, that may wait—Paris and the Olympic level are subsequent, and it may well all begin to really feel very actual on Friday evening.