Gabriel Beauchesne-Sévigny
It’s not unusual for Gabriel Beauchesne- Sévigny to take time out from a busy schedule to return home a visit his home club in Trois-Rivières. Beauchesne- Sévigny did just that a couple of weeks after the world championship trials to the amazement of the youngster who also want to one day compete at the Olympic Games just like their hero. Just a month earlier, he earned a provincial award for his community involvement and leadership skills.
Beauchesne-Sévigny forms one of the strongest C-2 paddling units in the world with Andrew Russell of Dartmouth. The pair first teamed up in 2001 then united their forces again in 2006 and have been unstoppable ever since as medal threats at the Olympic Games, world championships and World Cup events. ‘’We complement each other technically,’’ said Beauchesne- Sévigny. ‘’We have different roles in the boat but we match perfectly.’’
In 2010, Beauchesne-Sévigny says he and his partner have
faced some of their toughest battles to earn a spot on the world championships team. ‘’We’ve been going full out since the training camp in Florida in February,’’ he said. ‘’We faced a major challenge for the world team spot. But I liked that kind pressure and adversity. It kept us focused.’’
In school, Beauchesne-Sévigny still has a year’s worth of studies remaining in his pursuit for a degree in civil engineering at the University of Ottawa where he maintains a 92% average. He would love to work as an engineer on a seaway.
He comes from a very physically active family. His sister Geneviève is a former national team member and his grandfather Pat Beauchesne is in the Trois-Rivieres Hall of Fame for his baseball exploits. Gabriel started paddling at age 12 to beef up his body for hockey. However as the medals started to flow in the summer, he soon dropped his hockey career. His Olympic dream was ignited when Canadian Olympic paddler David Frost visited his school wearing his 1992 Olympic jacket.
Contact Lorraine Lafreniere at CKC to add your name to the growing list llafreniere@canoekayak.ca
