An injury that occurred this fall, however, curbed the 18-year-old’s momentum. A bad fall in training is the cause.
We were in sparring practice and I made a bad move. I fell on my shoulder and my pecs stretched and tore
, says Bertrand. Diagnosis: the cartilage of the labrum is torn and it will have to undergo a scalpel in the next few days.
I am happy with the operation in a way because I have had weaknesses and injuries in my shoulder, trapezius and neck for 18 months. It will eventually settle. But, I’ll be without a fight for six months at least, that’s a lot
, the 18-year-old athlete worries a little.
Bertrand intends to resume training as soon as possible, but he will be limited to strength training for several weeks.
Well surrounded in Montreal
In his misfortune, Bertrand can count on a quality entourage to overcome this ordeal. He is notably supervised by Olympian Antoine Valois-Fortier who has just announced his retirement to embark on a coaching career.
He helped me and talked to me a lot about the injury and the surgery. Antoine has already experienced that. An injury of this type to the labrum is quite common in judo. They can reassure me. It’s comforting to have people who have experience
, says the athlete.
Antoine Valois-Fortier won the bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships (archives).
Photo : Getty Images / CHARLY TRIBALLEAU
« Mentally, it’s really difficult. It’s been more than 2 months since I’ve set foot on a tatami. The competitions in Quebec resumed while I was off. I didn’t want to look, it depressed me too much. »
The young man remembers one thing in particular to get through this ordeal. He plans to set small, easily achievable goals.
It is important not to crack. You have to take all the small victories, otherwise it will be really difficult to get through. This speech helped me a lot to motivate myself. Surgery can be scary, but at least I can come back strong. Many have managed to go to the Olympics despite this
, launches Bertrand, confident.
When will there be a return to competition?
Difficult all the same to set a timetable for the return to the tatamis. Bertrand will be deprived of competitions for six months, but the rest will depend a lot on his rehabilitation.
I will definitely miss the national championships in January and May. Without the injury, I would have gone to Portugal and Germany for the worlds, but that also falls apart because it’s in March
, underlines the athlete whose last tournament dates back to February 2020, in Spain.
Félix-Olivier Bertrand has already been slowed down by the pandemic as he spent several months without a dojo.
Photo: Radio-Canada
Bertrand, who is led by his father Jean-François when he returns to the Outaouais, is therefore eyeing the side of the United States for a possible return next fall.
I could go to the United States, for the nationals, it can be a good plan. There will be no pressure without qualifications. It’s a good idea to come back after two years
, explains the judoka.
In the meantime, he hopes to return to bodybuilding as soon as possible, work on his hypertrophy and move up in weight category when he returns to combat. Bertrand is aiming for a spot at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
