SPORTING EVENT. Powerlifter Jean-Sébastien Rhéaume won the Élitas d’Or at the 44th Gala du Mérite Sportif Beauceron, awarded on Saturday evening at the Saint-Éphrem multifunctional center. Rugby player Sabrina Poulin and basketball player Marc-André Fortin won silver and bronze Élitas respectively.

Jean-Sébastien Rhéaume waited 23 years before celebrating his first world title in Newfoundland last October. With weights totaling 565 kilograms, he outperformed athletes from eleven nations. During the year he retained his Quebec and Canadian titles and set four provincial records and one national record. The 48-year-old powerlifter will try to defend his title at the next world championships in Mongolia.

“Year after year, it’s important to surpass yourself. There is no expiration date in sports. Staying competitive is the secret. explains Mr. Rhéaume, who started his sport at the age of 25.

It was the physical strength of the Saint-Georges athlete, but also his patience and resilience that enabled him to win his first World Masters Championship.

“It’s a discipline. I’ve been training for 25 years. After a week of competition I rest, but I miss the training. I have to go back to the gym. It’s a stress reliever,” he says.

Sabrina Poulin, from Saint-Georges, was voted Senior Women’s Rugby Sevens by Rugby Quebec. She distinguished herself on the international stage by being selected to the Canadian team that placed fourth at the World Championships in New Zealand. She also won an international tournament in Grenada with the Quebec team. She is currently taking part in the national team’s world tour in preparation for the upcoming World Cup. It was his father who went on stage to accept the Élitas d’Argent on his behalf.

Sainte-Marie basketball player Marc-André Fortin had a successful year in 2022. He played for Laval University Rouge et Or and was selected to the University of Quebec First All-Star Team. In the spring, he was drafted into the Canadian Elite Basketball League by the Montreal Alliance. He then moved to Europe, where he played 16 games with a team in the German professional league A.

“I played hockey for a long time, up to a certain level, but I couldn’t get any further, so I turned to basketball,” says the 6″8 man.

Athletes in the spotlight

The winners of the 2023 Gala follow ice hockey player Joshua Roy (gold), figure skater Marie-Raphaële Savoie (silver) and soccer player Joëlle Mercier (bronze) who received the same awards in 2024.

25 other Élitas were awarded during the evening. Two went back to Mont Orignal. Anne Gagné, who oversees the training of snowboarders at provincial, national and international levels, was voted Coach of the Year. The Organizing Team of the Canadian Snowboard Cross Championships at Lac Etchemin Mountain received the Élitas for Event of the Year.

The Élitas for Volunteer of the Year were presented to Mikael Laflamme, Equipment Manager for the Élites de Beauce-Appalaches, who has served for 20 years. Cégep Beauce-Appalaches women’s rugby team Condors were voted Team of the Year, while Regional Gymnastics Club Voltige received the Élitas for Organization of the Year.

Honorary President, David Hamel

Around 300 people attended the gala, which was held under the honorary presidency of Saint-Éphrem businessman David Hamel, who had excelled in numerous motocross competitions in the early 2000s.

A total of 64 athletes, coaches and volunteers as well as nine teams, events and organizations were nominated. The youngest contestant was 11-year-old gymnast Alyssa Caissy. At 68, powerlifter Bernard Vachon was the oldest of the group.

List of winners:

School athletes: Olivier Dubois-Lemieux

Athletics: Isaac Bouffard

Basketball: Marc Andre Fortin

Cheerleading: Eve Talbot

DEK Hockey: Charles Albert Pouliot

Soccer: Emile Paradis

Gymnastics: Nicolas Fournier

Weightlifting: Catherine Goupil

Hockey: Rosalie Begin-Cyr

Junior out of discipline: Noah Fecteau

Senior out of discipline: Jean-Sébastien Rheaume

Judo: Charline Bourque

Karate/Taekwondo: Jean-Samuel Leclerc

Swimming: Jeremy Dulac

Figure skating: Marie-Raphaële Savoie

Rugby: Sabrina Poulin

Snowboard cross: Marc-Antoine Poulin

Football: Mathieu Gareau

Tennis: Alysee Poulin

Volleyball: Jean Sebastien Faucher

Volunteer: Mikael Laflamme

Coach: Anne Gagne

Team: Condors Cégep Beauce-Appalaches Women’s Rugby

Event: Canadian Snowboard Cross Championships

Organization: Voltige Regional Gymnastics Club

Bronze Elite: Marc-André Fortin

Silver Elites: Sabrina Poulin

Golden Elites: Jean-Sébastien Rheaume