Gabriel Beauchesne-Sévigny

Biography

Gabriel Beauchesne-Sévigny made his Olympic debut at Beijing 2008, alongside sister Geneviève, where he made the finals of both the C-2 500m and C-2 1000m with partner Andrew Russell. The duo missed out on competing at London 2012 when they didn’t earn an Olympic quota spot at either the 2011 World Championships or the 2011 Pan American Games. But in a show of great team spirit, Beauchesne-Sévigny became a training partner for the Canadian Olympic team members. His resilience paid off in 2013 when he and new partner Benjamin Russell, Andrew’s younger brother, won their first World Cup gold medal and finished fourth at the ICF World Championships, a result they duplicated at the 2014 Worlds.

Getting to know…

Family: Parents Henri-Georges Sévigny and Renée Beauchesne… Older brother Olivier… Younger sister Geneviève is also a member of the canoe/kayak national team and competed at Beijing 2008… Getting into the Sport: Started canoeing at age 12, drawn to the sport because it put him on the water and had the challenge of staying in the boat without tipping over… Olympic dream was born after he saw two-time Olympian David Frost paddling at his club wearing his Canada jacket… Outside Interests: Graduated from the University of Ottawa in 2013 (Civil Engineering)… Enjoys playing cards with the boys, reading, going to art galleries, stand up paddling, surfing, sailing, and travelling… Fundraises for and participates in the Ottawa Motionball Marathon of Sport for Special Olympics… Odds and Ends: Personal motto: “Turn the music higher”… Easily inspired by simple things such as a fresh new pop song with a good bass that can get him pumped for weeks… Always travels with his prism glasses for night reading…  Collects fridge magnets from his travels… Nicknames: Gab, the linguist…