Anthony Bouchard

Started: He got involved in the sport in 2020. He first sat in a racing chair in March 2021. (paralympic.ca, 01 Dec 2023; ici.radio-canada.ca, 20 Oct 2023) Reason: He developed the ambition to compete on the world stage as he approached age 30. "I didn't have much time to waste and within the first six months I had already ordered my first racing chair." (rds.ca, 16 Jul 2023) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Instagram profile, 03 Dec 2023) Additional Info: LATE STARTER He first considered trying the sport in 2020 at age 27. He contacted Club d'athletisme de l'Universite Laval in Quebec, QC, Canada, and began training with coach Nathalie Seguin. Just three years after getting involved in wheelchair racing, he competed at the 2023 World Championships in Paris, France, but he had struggled to get the hang of the sport at first. "My chair was too wide and my knees were too low. I couldn't [hold myself] up and I found myself having my head pressed against the steering wheel. I remember coming home thinking, 'I don't think this is going to work'. When I was watching videos on the internet, it looked so easy and ultimately, it wasn't at all." (ici.radio-canada.ca, 20 Oct 2023)