The 56the Quebec Games final ends tomorrow in Rivière-du-Loup. The last nine days have allowed us to remember the first edition of 1971, but above all to see how important this provincial competition is for parents, brothers, sisters and even for grandparents. Here are some beautiful family stories that marked the last week.
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A grandmother and her granddaughter
Micheline Bélanger from Saint-Fabien, who took part in the Quebec Games five times from 1972 to 1976, had the pleasure of seeing her granddaughter Jade play table tennis this week in Rivière-du-Loup.
“It’s really special, I’m happy for them and I, it gives me a lot of emotions,” said the grandmother, who is also the mother of Patrick Coulombe, who briefly played in the NHL with the Canucks from Vancouver.
The 63-year-old lady does not go unnoticed on the competition site as she wears the same coat in the colors of Est-du-Québec that she wore in Jonquière in 1976. The coat attracted so much attention that a collector offered him $200 for the unique piece.
And the family story doesn’t end here. Her granddaughter’s coach is Guylaine Bélanger, her sister. Ms. Bélanger is the mother of Mathieu and Pier-Luc Thériault, two table tennis players who have developed on the international scene.
Another Goyette shines on the pitch
Emma Goyette draws a lot of attention at the Quebec Games grounds as she is the daughter of Jean-Philippe Goyette, one of the greatest badminton players in Quebec history. In addition to participating in several prestigious tournaments in Europe, he distinguished himself on the national scene by winning two Canadian titles. He is also a member of the Quebec Badminton Hall of Fame.
At just 14 years old, Emma is already showing a lot of potential and seems destined for a bright future. The Capitale Nationale color bearer is currently training with the athletes from Laval University Rouge et Or.
It should be noted that his mother, Jenny Aumais, competed in the 1993 Quebec Games in gymnastics at Baie-Comeau. While his brother Samuel (13) is considered a badminton hope for the 2024 Quebec Games in Sherbrooke.
The Darsignys and the weightlifting
The Darsigny name resonates with the Quebec weightlifting world. The Richelieu-Yamaska athletes present in this discipline could rely on the father-daughter coaching duo Yvan and Tali Darsigny.
The father was at the 1981 Quebec Games in Victoriaville and then competed in the 1984 Los Angeles and 1992 Barcelona Olympics before becoming a coach. The family’s three children, Tali, Matt and Shad, made multiple appearances at the Quebec Games, regularly winning gold medals and breaking numerous records. Yves, Yvan’s twin brother, was also a weightlifter at Saint-Léonard in 1983.
For her part, Tali Darsigny, who competed in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, is now giving her time back. At 25, she has now retired from competition to pursue her full-time studies at university.
One last for the Proulx family
Béatrice Proulx and teammate Amélya St-Pierre – who had the honor of lighting the flame during the opening ceremony – won the bronze medal in the badminton doubles event.
Béatrice thus continues the tradition of the Proulx family, as the father and three of the five children have participated in the Jeux du Québec over time. His sister Julianne is one of the few athletes, if not the only one, to have competed in the Games across four different sports. From 2016 to 2019, she represented Eastern Quebec in soccer, tennis, badminton and women’s hockey. His brother Édouard was his tennis coach.
“These are our last games since Béatrice is the baby of the family. The medal therefore has a special seal of quality. After that, it might be our grandchildren,” says mother Isabelle Dubé, laughing. She says that her grandfather, Mr. Edgard Dubé, attended the bronze medal game, he who attended the first Games in 1971 as a resident doctor.
The Roberge sisters and their mother are reunited
The Roberge sisters never thought they could compete in the ringette tournament together. Léonie, 16, and Flavie, 13, finally had the experience of a lifetime at the Quebec Games, especially since their mother is one of the Mauricie Region coaches.
“It’s really extraordinary. It’s a great opportunity we had,” says the mother, Karine Dargis. Usually the two girls do not develop in the same category, but circumstances have made it possible for the eldest to switch categories. Léonie, who plays defense, had attended the 2019 Games in Quebec. She says she is very protective of her sister who is a goalkeeper.
“We have a certain chemistry between us, between the sisters and with our mother, that’s really special. It’s a unique experience. We both walk past each other, we talk to each other, that’s something special,” says Léonie.
The Duval Brothers’ Dream
Twins Alexandre and Philippe Duval have a dream: one day to compete in the Paralympic Games. Before they can achieve that goal, they’ll make the most of their time in Bas-Saint-Laurent for the Quebec Games. An experience that they have the chance to live with their father Patrick, who is one of the trainers of the Capitale-Nationale training. They’re aiming for nothing less than a gold medal in wheelchair basketball. Their semi-final match will also be presented this morning.
The brothers, who both suffer from ataxia, a neuromuscular disease, are taking part in the major provincial competition for the second time. The members of the delegation agree that the Duvals are very much appreciated by their teammates and tend to be tongue-in-cheek.
The queens of the games 2023
It’s hard to ignore the passage of the three Joly sisters at the Quebec Games. After making headlines on our pages on Monday, they wrote another page of history the same day. For the first time, a trio of sisters won the 2000m speed skating relay final. Érika returned home with four gold medals, Justine with three gold medals, and Ariane with three gold medals and one silver medal. They said they had a unique experience. Journalists even dubbed them “Queens of the 2023 Games”.
On the other hand, two sisters of the Capitale-Nationale also return from Rivière-du-Loup with unforgettable memories. Short track speed skater Maryanne Bouchard was sensational, with one gold and two bronze medals in the individual events.
Aside from her own results, the 16-year-old will have caused a sensation when she took part in the relay qualifiers with her younger sister, who was skating at the age of 13. “A little annoying, but it’s a great experience living together,” she told the Journal.