Weightlifting | The reflections of Maude Charron

“What more can I look for in sport after this year? » Nearly six months after her return from the Paris Olympic Games, where she was decorated with silver, Maude Charron is “in reflection” about the rest of her career.

Charron had an absolutely prodigious year in 2024. After being a flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, she achieved the goal she had set for herself: experiencing the Games with her family. The icing on the cake was that she won the silver medal.

In the months that followed, the Bas-Saint-Laurent athlete received honors from all sides. She notably spoke at the reception of the Canadian team athletes on Parliament Hill. She also received the title of athlete of the year on the international scene at the Gala Sports Québec.

The question for the weightlifter who heads this article, therefore, arises: what more can she do?

“This is clearly the most important, most fruitful year [de ma carrière]she said. I receive lots of great news all the time, lots of lovely tributes. […] I don’t see how I can topper the year 2024. I cannot yet be standard bearer. I’ve brought home medals for two Games…”

At 31, Charron is “not getting any younger,” she recalls. “I’m getting older, I have wounds coming out. Each time, I say to myself: am I tempted to start training full-time, doing just that? »

The weightlifter still loves to compete, but she also “wants something else.” She is therefore “in reflection” regarding the next Olympic cycle. She also has a “fairly significant” injury to her hip, for which she must consult a specialist soon.

“If I want to go back to full-time training at the level I was at… Normally it’s surgery. Do I want to get into this? No. I don’t have ten years to give in sport yet. Is it worth it? I still have some thoughts to make on that front. »

The athlete has already warned his coaches: if they notice that his ambitions “are made too high compared to what [son] body can give,” she wishes they would be “honest enough” to tell her.

“My life, in itself, does not change”

The return of the Olympic Games is experienced differently for each athlete. After winning gold in Tokyo in 2021, Charron had difficulty adapting to his new notoriety. This time, she did things differently. After her silver medal in Paris, she spent two weeks in Europe.

It was truly “a way to get away from it,” but also, in a way, a way to allow people to “move on.” When he returned, school had started again. Olympic results were less part of the discussions.

So what the weightlifter calls his “game plan” worked. She was less requested from all sides. The fact remains that she lives in a small municipality, Sainte-Luce-sur-Mer, in Bas-Saint-Laurent…

“People are happy,” she says, visibly grateful for their encouragement. “There was still a lot of interaction with people, which is okay because they want to congratulate me, they followed me. [Mes deux semaines de vacances m’ont] allowed me to mentally prepare myself for this wave. »

Before the Games, the athlete insisted on his desire to enjoy the experience with his family rather than only thinking about bringing home a medal. She ultimately did both, living the Olympic experience to the fullest.

When we ask her if she had a bout of blues upon her return, she hesitates.

“I find that the blues are not necessarily coming back after the pedestal of the Games. It’s more about realizing that your life is the same as it was before going to the Games. »

“I still have my dishes to do, my laundry to do, my dog ​​to pick up. My life, in itself, does not change. It’s just the interactions with people that change. »

Waiting for a call

Since his return from Paris, Charron, by his own admission, “does nothing”. She resumed training, made a few trips, started her training as a coach. She tries to find “new goals, new passions, new ambitions”. She also took up CrossFit and gymnastics, sports that she had abandoned, with the aim of moving to “have fun” and not out of obligation.

“I love it, I love moving so much, but I’m not 14 anymore! It hurts, ankles, wrists, everything hurts! she exclaims about her gymnastics moves.

Charron also applied to “finally” start working at the Sûreté du Québec again. She’s been waiting to get the call for a few months now.

“I work out because I have nothing else to do with my days! I tell myself: right now, this is what I’m good at, lifting weights. So I’m going to continue lifting weights! »

The day she receives the expected call and puts on her police uniform again, she will have to make a decision. Continue training or not?

“It’s certain that this question will come up every time. The injury… There are a lot of things that will come into play. »