Francis Lefebvre Joins National Team Members in Guelph
Francis Lefebvre, Canada’s 2011 Canadian Junior Champion, is stepping up his game by moving to train with National Team members in Guelph. He’ll be in great company in and out of training as he is sharing an apartment with Canadian standouts Andrew Yorke and Amelie Kretz.
Yorke, who is coming off a win at the North American Sprint Championships in Sarasota this March, has been especially helpful. “Jokingly, I call him my mentor,” says Lefebre. “Whenever I have a question, whether it’s about nutrition or training, he always has an answer. He has lots of experience and experience is something that you can’t buy, you have to earn it.”
Lefebvre’s training pattern follows two weeks of intensity followed by a few days off. “We swim a lot, we bike a lot, and we run a lot. I don’t know what else to say about it. We just train a lot!,” he says. Lefebvre is coached by Craig Taylor, who is present at all the workouts, sometimes using his car or scooter to keep up with the athletes.
This season, Lefebvre has already raced sprint triathlons in Clermont and the North American Championships in Sarasota. He finished in 24th at Clermont and in 23rd place in Sarasota, with a fast 15:52 run.
His target race for the moment is Dallas on June 1st which is the U23 North American Championships. He wants to finish in the top 5 to qualify for the World Championships in Edmonton. He also plans to race the Canadian Championships in Magog and at the Toronto Triathlon Festival.
Lefebvre played water polo before getting into triathlon which makes him a force to reckon with in the water. In 2007, he accidently qualified for the Quebec Triathlon Championships while racing in his first triathlon for fun. He really loved his first experiences in triathlon and has continued training for triathlon ever since.
by Patrick Janukavicius
