Two Gatineau teens earn spots at Canada's Olympic talent final

Tashi Farmilo

Two 15-year-old athletes from Gatineau, Jean-Clément Vachon and Abigael Morissette, have reached the top 100 finalists at RBC Training Ground, the Canadian Olympic Committee's national talent search, and will compete in Toronto on October 3 for funding and a place in an Olympic development program.

Vachon is being scouted in luge and Morissette in rowing, after trying out at qualifying events, Vachon in Ottawa on April 11 and Morissette in Quebec City on March 22.

The program invites Canadians aged 14 to 25 to test their speed, strength, power and endurance in front of scouts from the national sport federations, matching raw athleticism to the sport that fits it best. Up to 35 of the 100 finalists will earn funding, mentorship and a spot in a national development stream.

"Jean-Clément performed very well across both the physical and sport-specific testing, while also showing strong engagement, coachability and a genuine interest in learning more about luge," said Dania Obratov, a coach and Track To Podium program coordinator at Luge Canada.

Morissette, a hockey player, joined the Ottawa Rowing Club over the summer. "Abigael has crushed all the tests she has done and is already on the Ottawa Rowing Club's all-time 2k erg scoreboard with a time of 7:10 as a 15-year-old," said Chuck McDiarmid, high-performance manager at Rowing Canada.

Since 2016 the program has sent 28 athletes to the Olympics, where they have won 14 medals, including a record 11 alumni at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in February 2026.