To spin an old phrase, it takes a community to raise an Olympian.
For Jay Lamoureux, it also took more than a few spins around the Juan de Fuca Velodrome to get to the Games.
With less than a month to go before the Tokyo Olympics, it is coming to that moment of reflection and of expressing thanks to their supporters among those athletes who have qualified 鈥� and knowing there are still some anxious moments awaiting for those final few athletes to be selected during trials and qualifying tournaments over the next couple of weeks.
Lamoureux is in the former group among the 75 Island or Island-based athletes who will compete in the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. The 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games bronze medallist has been selected for the Canadian men鈥檚 pursuit track cycling team, which was ranked No. 4 in the world in 2019.
鈥淣ow it鈥檚 about staying cool and not getting heat stroke,鈥� he said.
It was time for a last meet and greet with friends and supporters on Saturday at a function held in Lamoureux鈥檚 honour at the Juan de Fuca Velodrome as he prepares for the final training touches, beginning next week back at the national track cycling centre in Milton, Ont., before leaving for Tokyo on July 24.
鈥淎 lot of friendly community faces came out today, and also athletes I rode with back in the day, all to wish me well,鈥� said the 25-year-old Oak Bay product.
Lamoureux feels he is carrying forward the metaphorical torch in many ways: 鈥淚 remember when I was a kid competing in cross-country running and [Olympic gold- and silver-颅medallist triathlete] Simon Whitfield would come out to be the rabbit in our races, and thinking that was so cool, because he was an inspiration to me.鈥�
Now, it鈥檚 Lamoureux doing the inspiring. 鈥淚t was really special today to get that sort of feeling,鈥� he said.
