After more than seven years with the senior women’s national team and three appearances at the Paralympic Games, the wheelchair baskeball player from Saint-Clet, Rosalie Lalonde has officially announced her retirement from Team Canada.

The 27-year-old was introduced to wheelchair basketball in 2011. Although she initially had little interest in sport, her mother encouraged her to give it a chance.
 
She started in a mini-basketball program in Quebec, where she developed her skills before making it to the junior provincial team and later to the women’s provincial team.

“I started my career at a young age and sport has had a great impact on my growth, not only as an athlete but also as a person. I have had a great career and achieved many things, but I feel that greater opportunities await me,” says the young retiree.

As she moved away from the national team to take on new challenges and projects, Rosalie felt it was time to retire.

”I returned to the national team after a two-year break, because it was important for me to end my career in the right way and establish a healthy relationship with sport. My greatest achievement was having my family and partner by my side at the Paris Games. They are my greatest supporters and the main reason for my success. I needed them at the end of my career and I am grateful that they are here. I am proud of myself and grateful for all that sport has brought me,” continues Rosalie.

In reflecting on her career, Rosalie highlighted her first international tournament – the 2013 Parapan American Youth Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina – as a highlight of her career.
 
“It was my first step into the world of high performance sports,” said Rosalie. “I loved it and wanted more. When you’re in the early stages of your career, everything is exciting. It’s a thrilling journey to climb the ranks of the sport.”

A decade with the national team

Rosalie Lalonde made her senior women’s national team debut at the 2015 Parapan American Games, where she helped Team Canada win silver. The same year, she represented Canada at the Women’s U25 World Championship in Beijing, where the team finished fourth. Her Paralympic debut was in 2016, when she was the youngest member of Team Canada at the Rio Games.
 
The 27-year-old played a key role in the senior women’s national team’s ability to secure a spot at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, playing an average of 20 minutes per game, while Canada won gold at the 2019 Parapan American Games, Lima, Peru.
 
After competing in Tokyo, she took a two-year break before coming back for the 2023 Parapan American Games, where she helped win Canada’s silver medal in Santiago, Chile.

Rosalie helped Canada secure a spot at the 2024 Paralympic Games as well, thanks to a strong performance in last spring’sI.W.B.F. draft tournament in Osaka.

The native of St-Clet, Que., also represented Canada at the 2018 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships (fifth place) and the 2017 Americas Cup (first place).
 
More recently, Rosalie Lalonde helped Canada achieve fourth place at the Paris Paralympics last summer, the team’s best result in two decades.
 
“Paris was probably my most intense, difficult, but also the most exciting and rewarding experience,” said Rosalie. “I felt an immense pressure on my shoulders, but as they say, “Pressure is a privilege.” I have never felt so much support from the outside world – I really felt that people believed in us. Each match was like a battle and the team and I were ready to strike first.”
 
“The adrenaline I felt cannot be replicated; it is a moment that I will always remember and cherish,” she adds

Inspiring models

The athlete attributes much of her inspiration, both on and off the field, to the late Maude Jacques.
 
“Before I became a friend and teammate, Maude was my inspiration and role model,” said Rosalie. “For the first time, I had a woman with whom I could identify in many ways, sharing a common passion and goal. As a young teenager who was still trying to accept my condition, it really made a difference in my life.”

“I want to thank my family and my physiotherapist for pushing me to play wheelchair basketball, something I was very reluctant to try initially,” she said. ”Thank you to my parents for encouraging, supporting and leading me through all of my training sessions and tournaments at the beginning. Thanks to my brother, Collin, for his unwavering support and for challenging me – even today – to be a better player and mentor for the next generation.”
 
“I want to thank my community in Saint-Clet for their tremendous support of local athletes, and I am proud to be from a small town. I would also like to thank all of my coaches, teammates and teammates throughout my career. Each person has had an impact on me,” she concludes.

Source: Wheelchair Basketball Canada