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Stéphane Côté
Stéphane Côté, a decisive moment
In Beijing, he was participating in his fourth Paralympic Games. Road racing specialist, the paracyclist has noticed an evolution in the discipline since the Atlanta Games in 1996. In spite of it all, Stéphane Côte makes his own turns.
Steered by his pilot Pierre-Olivier Boily who has been with him since 2001,
the Québec athlete finished sixth in the road race and 13th in the time trial at
the Beijing Games. In Athens, they had just missed the podium, finishing fourth in the road
race. Of course, not winning a medal in China was a disappointment, but the sport has
become so specialized
, says the 2006 world vice-champion who is blind from birth.
Speaking of specialization, Stéphane cites the case of the Australians who brought different
teams to Beijing, one team for track events and one for road races. You can’t really compete
if you don’t concentrate on one or two events
, says he who raced in four events in the last Games.
However, Stéphane points out, it is far from being bad. It’s good for our sport; it shows
that we are at a decisive moment. The basin of athletes has grown and talent is popping out.
He can only be happy with this democratization of sports among athletes with deficiencies.
As a teenager, my friends went cycling and I wanted to go along. People called my mother crazy.
I’ve always been active and practiced numerous sports with my friends. My parents always
gave me the same possibilities as if I had had perfect vision,
he explains. In sports,
I wasn’t the best, but I wasn’t the worst.
Growing up with the Défi sportif
He has been in paracycling for 13 years now, but his first participation in the Défi sportif was in another discipline. He was originally with the Québec hockey team that faced off against the Montréal team in 1987 when there was a category for the sight-impaired on the programme.
I grew up with the Défi sportif. Since my first participation, I didn’t miss many
, Côté
remembers. After two years in hockey, he played goalball and moved on to cycling when that
sport was introduced in the Défi sportif.
It started as a project of Louis Barbeau, executive director of the Fédération québécoise des sports cyclistes, and I jumped on board. It is a sport I always liked. Plus, I had friends who raced for a local team in Québec.
Stéphane Côté
The beauty with the Défi, according to him, is that it brings together
athletes from all levels. It is good to be able to rub elbows with youngsters from the
schools and show them that everything is possible. We have to tell them that we went through
it all also, before getting to the Paralympic Games.
Each spring, The Défi sportif has become the first test of the season
for the paracyclist. It always is our first race. It’s time to lay our cards down. It allows
us to set things straight and make the necessary adjustments.
The new challenge
He admits that more of his career lies behind him than ahead of him. At 37 years of age, the
desire to devote himself more to his family and spend more time at home is growing, all the
more so because he is the father of a baby girl since last summer. I want more children and
family is important. I also want to keep on working
, says Côté who works for the provincial
government, full time during the winter and part time in summer.
One year at a time is his motto, and if that takes him to London in 2012, all the better!
Before each of the Games, I always told myself they might be my last ones. For the next
rotation, many factors must be taken into account and deciding is not a simple matter. Huge
amounts of motivation and self-investment are required and Pierre-Olivier has to be considered.
One thing is certain: I will not start over with another pilot!
