Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu has one heck of a backstory.
He was a teen prodigy, a top-ranked world junior speed skater in both long and short track, which is extremely rare. The Sherbrooke, Que. native simply loved skating — and he had his own happy, idiosyncratic ways that served him well. He was the kind of kid who would warm up on a unicycle instead of the usual stationary bike.
But he says a change in coaching regime stole all the joy from his sport, and his workouts strayed into what he calls abusive territory. Physical injury from over-training combined with mental breakdown in a perfect — but not perfectly understood — storm. At the age of 20 he was broken, beaten and done with racing.
Four years away from the sport spent travelling, tending bar — anything but skating — began to recharge the batteries, and then a coincidental meeting with another “outsider” talent, Steve Robillard, lit the comeback fuse. Robillard encouraged Gélinas-Beaulieu to get into coaching, and that slowly rekindled his own love of the game.
As he tells Anastasia Bucsis during this episode of Player’s Own Voice podcast, it’s all about the joy again.
Gélinas-Beaulieu determines his own workout regime, revels in encouraging young skaters, and he is already rubbing his hands in anticipation of Milano Cortina 2026.
Like the CBC Sports’ Player’s Own Voice essay series, POV podcast lets athletes speak to Canadians about issues from a personal perspective.
Transcripts available provided for our hard of hearing audience. To listen to Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu or any of the guests from earlier episodes, and more Canadian athletes from the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, head to CBC Listen — or wherever else you get your podcasts.
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