Valérie Lefebvre, 19-years-old, began childhood with a passion for horses, but her father and younger sister had a passion and appointment with the gym. Forced to go with them, Valérie soon developed the same love for weightlifting that apparently was in her blood.
“I didn’t really want to try it, but I had to go, because my parents didn’t want to get a babysitter for me while my sister went to the club with my father,” Valérie said. “But eventually, I grew to like it, and then really like it. But it’s really because of my sister that I’m doing this.”
Valérie is ranked seventh among the world’s juniors in the 63-kilogram weight class and 25th in the senior rankings. She is getting ready for her final trip to the world junior championships this May and will be working hard over the next few years to catch Canada’s attention as they plan their Olympic team.
“If it’s not in 2012, I’ll go in 2016. I’ll still only be 26,” Valérie said. “But I’m going to work as hard as I can to make it. It’s an exciting time, but there’s not much more I can do to make it happen. It’s two years away, which is a long time, but it’s not at the same time, because it’s not as if I’m going to add 20 kilograms to my lifts between now and then. So for now, I’m focusing on the world juniors because I’m still a junior, and after that we’ll see.”