Olympian Jean-Simon Desgagnés Visits St. Lawrence
On Tuesday, November 19th, we welcomed Olympian and Université Laval medical student Jean-Simon Desgagnés to the college for our annual Student Success Day. He spoke to an audience of students and staff about his background, his journey to the Paris 2024 Olympics, and how he achieves his goals.
Desgagnés got ahead in the world of sports by always saying “yes”. In high school, he played football, basketball, and more, taking advantage of every possible opportunity to play sports, even though he was often the smallest person on the field or the court. His passion and hard work eventually resulted in his being recruited for the track and field team by a teacher; he was fast and nimble, a natural for the sport, he says. He ended up in steeplechase, an event known by few members of the public, but one he says he was built for.
Desgagnés filled his life with sports not because he was hoping to accomplish something, but because he was passionate about it. His intrinsic motivation pushed him to work hard, and this drive was easy to eventually transition into training for the Olympics. He spoke about the importance of enjoying the journey, and of living for the day-to-day. Placing 13th in Paris was the cherry on top, and hopefully just the beginning of his Olympic career.
Through his systematic dedication and hard work, he has managed to balance his athletic career with a medical education at Université Laval, something that resonated with students. He will take many years longer than average to complete his studies, but he has found a delicate balance between his passions and can work toward both goals simultaneously. The gamble of doing two such intense things at once has paid off, through his methodical work toward short-term goals, he says.
It was a thrill to watch Desgagné’s journey from cégep athlete to Olympian, narrated in detail and interspersed with short videos put together for his Instagram page, which brought colour to the story. The audience was captivated and moved by Desgagné’s story, and many felt compelled to ask questions after the talk.
The primary message of the presentation was that success is achieved through accumulating moments of work. When asked about whether he is already thinking about the 2028 Olympics, Desgagnés said he was focusing only on the afternoon run he was to complete after his visit to St. Lawrence. It is necessary to focus on what can be done in the moment.
Jean-Simon Desgagnés speaks about his journey to the Olympics