Laurent Dubreuil

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Reason for choosing this sport	"My parents are Olympians in speed skating. They taught me how to skate in our backyard and I loved it. Speed skating is a pure sport. It is human against the clock, and that's what I love the most."
Club / Team	Club Patinage de Vitesse de Levis: Canada
Name of coach	Gregor Jelonek [national], CAN
When and where did you begin this sport?	He first tried the sport at age four in Levis, QC, Canada.

Famous relatives	His mother Ariane Loignon represented Canada in both short track and speed skating. She competed in speed skating at the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary, and was part of the Canadian short track team that won gold in the 3000m relay at the 1986 World Championships in Chamonix, France. His father Robert Dubreuil also represented Canada in both short track and speed skating. He finished 14th in the 500m speed skating event at the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, and was part of the Canadian short track team that won gold in the 5000m relay at the 1984 World Championships in Peterborough, England. His brother Daniel has represented Canada in speed skating at junior level, and competed at the World Junior Championships in 2012, 2013 and 2014. (SportsDeskOnline, 15 Dec 2020; Athlete, 04 Jan 2015; speedskating.ca, 21 Oct 2012)
Most influential person in career	Coach Gregor Jelonek, and his wife Andreanne. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)
Hero / Idol	British darts player Phil Taylor. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)
Injuries	He injured his back [lumbar sprain] in February 2008 and was out of action until May 2009. The injury has continued to cause him problems since then. (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019, 18 Nov 2018) He sustained two concussions in the 2006/07 season. The injuries persuaded him to take up speed skating instead of short track. (Athlete, 18 Nov 2018, 12 Nov 2017)
Memorable sporting achievement	Winning gold in the 500m at the 2021 World Single Distances Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands. (isu.org, 17 Feb 2021)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"A 1500m every day keeps the doctor away." (Athlete, 18 Nov 2018)
Nicknames	Larry [he finds it is hard for people to pronounce Laurent correctly if they only speak English]. (Athlete, 04 Jan 2015)
Other information	FATHERLY PERSPECTIVE He says the birth of his daughter Rose in 2019 has changed his approach to speed skating. "I started getting good when I became a dad. I feel like that takes away some pressure because it puts things in perspective. Before, skating was the most important thing in my life. If skating was bad, I felt bad. If skating was good, I felt good about myself. But now even if I have a bad race, I don't care too much, because that's not what's most important to me anymore." (isu.org, 03 Dec 2021) PHYSICAL TRAINER In 2021 he spoke about how his time working with physical trainer Jonathan Pelletier-Ouellet has helped him overcome a back problem that he has been dealing with since 2008. "It invigorated me. I had come to a place in my career where I needed to change, to find something new. When Jonathan arrived he brought something new, it was different from what I had done before. I had still had good results before, I was a world medallist in 2015. I was in my mid-twenties and I could have refused to change my approach, but I got on board, I jumped a bit into nothingness. It was gradual, very long to rebuild. I started doing squats again, stuff that I didn't think my back was going to be able to take. I have had back problems since I was young. Now I am not in pain at all, I can put on really heavy loads. It starts from that. Most of my good results have come since then. I owe a lot to Jonathan, but I am happy to have dared to do something different." (ici.radio-canada.ca, 13 Oct 2021, 06 Oct 2021; Facebook profile, 03 Sep 2021) ROLE MODEL One of his mottoes is 'I love clean sport', and he believes it is important for elite athletes to set a positive example to young people and encourage them to live a healthy lifestyle. "I love going to schools to talk to young students about my passion for sport and healthy living. I feel athletes can be life models and we have to use that recognition to help improve the world." (Athlete, 27 Jan 2017, 04 Jan 2015) FURTHER EDUCATION He has studied social and behavioural science at College Francois-Xavier-Garneau in Quebec, QC, Canada. (Athlete, 17 Nov 2012)
Other sports	He has competed in athletics and table tennis at the Quebec Games in Canada. (speedskating.ca, 12 Feb 2017)
Awards and honours	He was named 2020/21 Long Track Male Athlete of the Year by Speed Skating Canada. In 2015 he shared the award with fellow Canadian speed skater Denny Morrison. (speedskating.ca, 16 Aug 2021; speedskating.ca, 01 Jan 2019) In 2020 he received the Athlete of the Year and International Individual Sport awards from the Quebec Chaudiere-Appalaches region in Canada. (lesoleil.com, 23 Oct 2020; journaldelevis.com, 27 Oct 2020) In 2011 and 2012 he was named Male National Athlete of the Year at the Gala Victoris in Quebec City, QC, Canada. (speedskating.ca, 12 Feb 2017)
Ambitions	To win a medal at the Olympic Winter Games. (ici.radio-canada.ca, 13 Oct 2021)