Three weeks ahead of her Olympic debut, Montreal’s Simone Plourde is making her final training preparations at altitude in St. Moritz, Switzerland. “It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever been,” says Plourde. “I’m in awe.” The next month will bring several firsts for the 24-year-old middle-distance runner, who on Aug. 6 will become the first Quebec woman to represent Canada in the women’s 1,500m at an Olympic Games.
Unlike many athletes, Plourde did not initially aspire to the Olympics when she switched from cross-country skiing to track and field in 2017. Though a talented skier, she began to excel on the track, earning a scholarship to Brigham Young University. After a year, she transferred to the University of Utah. Her time in Utah was brief, as her standout performances–including a 1,500m victory at the PAC-12 Championships and a seventh-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Championships–drew the attention of multiple professional training groups. She ultimately joined Nike’s Union Athletics Club in Oregon, coached by Pete Julian.
Canada’s Simone Plourde on turning pro and joining Nike’s Union Athletics Club
Plourde’s success on the track led to her selection for Canada’s national team at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest and the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow. She hopes to leverage these experiences in Paris to perform at her best.
“I never thought I’d be in this position,” says Plourde on being selected to her first Olympic Games. “Even if you told me last year when I turned pro, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
Plourde did not meet the women’s automatic qualifying standard of 4:02.50 but was selected based on World Athletics points after her third-place finish at the Bell Canadian Track and Field Trials in Montreal. “I was in the kitchen with my dad and boyfriend, and they couldn’t believe it,” says Plourde. “To physically see it on paper—it’s a surreal moment.”
In Paris, her goal is to savour the experience. “This is the fun part; training to get to this point. It’s special,” she says.
Plourde will have two opportunities to advance to the women’s 1,500m semi-finals. If she does not advance from the 1,500m heats, she will get another chance in the new Olympic “repechage” round. “I think it’s great,” says Plourde about the repechage. “This is an opportunity for athletes to get a second chance to show up. It’s fun for the public and the athletes.”
The Montreal native will have more than 10 close family members and friends in Paris as she begins her Olympic journey on Tuesday, Aug. 6.
