Dominique Bouchard poured out her passion after taking her best shot at reaching the Olympic final in 200-metre backstroke.
The 25-year-old North Bay native needed a top-eight semifinals time on Thursday night at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio de Janeiro to advance to the final. Bouchard and Ukraine's Daryna Zevina each finished in two minutes 9.07 seconds, 0.23 short of qualifying. As gut-wrenching it was to have that result after thousands of hours of training during the Rio 2016 cycle, Bouchard found the words to post to her Facebook page hours after her competition.
"There was not only heartbreak for me, but to many other young ladies; world champions, Olympic champions and world record holders,” the former North Bay Titans swimmer said.
“We all suffered a loss last night. This swim was 18 years in the making for me, and it culminated into something very disappointing. The wound is still very fresh, and will take time to heal.
“To reach the pinnacle of your sport and not be able to capitalize on a great opportunity is something every athlete fears. You put in the hard work, you trust your coach, and you build your confidence with every practice and every swim meet for this event and when 0.23 comes between realizing your goal/dream and not, there are bound to be some tears.
Those who were privy to following Bouchard when she was a young teenage swimmer in North Bay in the mid-aughts long had a sense that she had Olympian potential. Reaching that strata never comes easily. While working toward the goal of earning the Olympic ring that Swimming Canada gives to all athletes who make the team, Bouchard also focused on her academics while becoming an NCAA All-American with the Missouri Tigers. The relationship with her Tigers coach, John Pontz, also continued during her post-graduate years while she was working on a masters degree in health-care administration.
“Many people will ask me the following two questions: What do you wish you had done better/Do you have any regrets? And what is next for you? As for the first question, I can say with certainty that I have NO regrets. I believe that every decision I made was the right one for me and the right one to be successful.
“I had a great support group at the University of Missouri and I was able to train my butt off and continue my education in a great program where I made great friends and connections for life. I know everyone knows I did everything possible to be my best, but sometimes you fall short and it is something I will have to deal with.”
Bouchard, who wrote the Medical College Admission Test in January, is embarking on another step in her vocation in the health sciences in a few weeks.
“As for the second question, my future in the pool is a little murky. There are only two things I am certain: I have friends, family, teammates, coaches and a boyfriend who love me and support me in everything I choose to do and I will never lose that. Secondly, I will be stepping into the real world on September 6 as an intern at the University of Missouri hospital for 12 weeks. After that, nothing in my future is clear.”
While Canada was temporarily adjacently victorious over 16-year-old Penny Oleksiak winning the 100-m freestyle gold, Bouchard's experience is much closer to the reality of rank-and-file Olympians. For people who have followed her career, reaching out with support superseded celebrating the gold. Bouchard's Facebook wall filled up with supportive comments after her race.
“I want to thank everyone again for all the support throughout the years and for always believing a little girl from Northern Ontario could get to the big leagues,” Bouchard said.
“It will take a while for me to be myself again, but I know that I will find peace and happiness soon enough. Thank you for everything.”
