William Émard

Biography

• Helped Canada qualify a full men’s artistic gymnastics team for Paris 2024; the team finished fourth in qualification and seventh in the final at the 2023 FIG World Championships
• Finished eighth in the individual all-around at the 2021 FIG World Championships, Canada’s best ever result at the worlds in the men’s all-around; only learned three days prior to qualification that he would be competing on all six apparatus; also qualified for the apparatus finals in rings and vault
• Competed at the 2021 World Championships after suffering a partial tear in his left bicep; had to then take time off to rehabilitate the injury but was lost without having gymnastics as an outlet; quit the sport completely for two months to reset mentally and physically; though it was scary, it allowed him to reconnect with himself  
• Competed at his first FIG World Championships in 2019  
• Won team silver and rings silver at the 2023 Pan American Championships

A Little More About William

Getting into the Sport: Started gymnastics at age 4 and began competing at age 8… Outside Interests: Enjoys reading, watching movies, photography… Would like to pursue physiotherapy as a post-gymnastics career… Odds and Ends: Inspired by Kyle Shewfelt for being the only Canadian artistic gymnast to win an Olympic medal and the way he came back from a major injury to compete at the Olympics… Describes himself as “super perfectionist, which is both his best and worst asset as an athlete… Favourite quote: “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan…