Coteaulac's Justin Lafleur, 12, rounded off his 2022-2023 season in fine style when he took part in the Coupe Québec on September 9 and 10. The young athlete and BMX enthusiast finished on the top step of the podium in his category, in addition to placing in the top 3 of the season's final cumulative rankings. Interview with the man himself.

"It went well and I'm satisfied with my performance. I must say I was on familiar ground, on the track where I train every day. I gained a lot of experience by taking part in the World Championships this summer in the UK, and I learned from a lot of the people I met there. My starts are stronger now that I'm back," he analyzed a few days after his participation in this major competition.

In all, some twenty athletes took the start at the same time as Justin, in Block 2, which numbered a total of 250 throughout the weekend. "The competition was divided into two blocks. The first grouped the youngest and the second the oldest, of which I was one.In my block, 20 male and female runners took to the track, including me.I was running in the 13-14 Experts category, even though my birthday is next October. There were two of us from Vaudreuil-Soulanges in this race," adds the runner who has been studying in Secondary 1 since the start of the school year.

For this important race, athletes came from the four corners of the province, from as far away as Gatineau, Drummondville, Pointe-du-Lac, Haut-Richelieu and even Saint-Augustin.

The weather: a disruptive element?

Was this weekend's erratic weather a spoilsport? "No, not for the races on our block. The youngest racers in the first block had to deal with the rain. As for us, by the time our turn came around, the track was dry and well drained. So no, it wasn't a challenge in itself," he continues.

Third place overall

As this was the last race of the season, the stakes were high for Justin. "At each race, you accumulate points in the cumulative ranking, which determines the best athletes at the end of the season.As I missed the competition in La Tuque this summer because I was taking part in the World Championships in Scotland, I slipped a few places to finish 3rd, but just one point off second place.  Nevertheless, I'm very happy with my season.I've preformed well and improved quite a bit over the last few months." 

What will the next few months look like for Justin? "My dad is going to give me a gym membership so I can stay in shape during the winter season," he shares. Justin will also, with Team Quebec, keep fit using an indoor pump track. 

Just before he finishes his first year of high school in May, Justin will be back on his bike for the coming season. "I'll be in the Junior category, which brings together 14, 15, 16 and 17-year-olds.It'll give me more of a challenge, that's for sure. Athletes in this category have to pass through the elite section of each track during competitions.It brings a higher level of difficulty. Since I'll also be with Équipe Québec, I'll be competing all over the province and I'll be able to familiarize myself with different courses."

In closing, Justin would like to thank René Martel-Pilon of RPM."He did all the maintenance on my bike throughout the season ."