After 14 years as head cross-country coach at Université Laval, Félix-Antoine Lapointe announced on Twitter on Tuesday that he will be leaving his position to focus on other professional roles. The Rouge et Or coach will take on the positions of head coach of the Provincial Centre of Excellence in Athletics in Quebec as well as provincial head coach at Athlétisme Quebec.
🔴🟡👋
Mise à jour professionnelle.
Après 14 années comme entraîneur du programme @rougeetor en athlétisme et cross-country, je quitte mon poste d’entraîneur-chef du RO cross-country.
Parfois prioriser c’est renoncer, il s’agit d’une décision difficile mais murement réfléchie. pic.twitter.com/WNa4EaozQZ
— Felix A Lapointe (@CoachLapointe) August 13, 2024
Laval has been known for having one of the most prestigious track and field and cross-country programs in the country. Since he stepped into the role in 2011, Lapointe has seen five U SPORTS national team titles, including the historic home-crowd double-banner win at the 2021 U SPORTS Championship at the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City. In his Twitter announcement, he notes that these championships have been key moments in his coaching career. The men’s team has won the provincial title in each of Lapointe’s 12 seasons coaching, while the women have won seven times.
Lapointe also coached Canadian Olympians Charles Philibert-Thiboutot, Jean-Simon Desgagnés and Thomas Fafard during their time in the university’s program; all three just competed for Canada in Paris, where Philibert-Thiboutot reached the 1,500m semi-final and Desgagnés and Fafard reached the final of their respective 3,000m steeplechase and 5,000m events.
Lapointe told Radio-Canada that the demands of the Laval and Quebec Athletics coaching roles were too much to balance. “It was becoming too difficult to combine all these functions,” he said. The coach aims to continue developing athletics programs for elite athletes in Quebec by providing a supportive environment and resources for those competing internationally.
“I had been thinking about it for a year,” Lapointe explained. “It really wasn’t an easy decision to make.”
Sylvain Cloutier, head coach of the Laval track and field team, will be taking over the leadership role for the cross-country program.
The 37-year-old coach thanked the student-athletes and fellow coaches he worked with over the past 14 years. “The bonds formed with the athletes, the lessons learned after defeats and the feeling of duty accomplished following victories will remain forever engraved in my memory,” he wrote on Twitter.
Merci, Coach Lapointe!
