HEALTH ADVOCATE AND PRO
ANTOINE JOLICOEUR DESROCHE’S KIT
SWIM BIKE RUN
QUEBEC’S ANTOINE JOLICOEUR Desroches has had a busy year, earning his first 70.3 podium in Chattanooga in May, racing his first Ironman and creating content for his popular podcast, social media and Youtube channels, all while working on his degree in nutrition and food science at Mcgill University. “I’m happy enough with how the season went,” he reflects. “There were a lot of races that went well and showed me that when things come together, I’m on the right track to win a race one day.” One of the fastest swimmers on the 70.3 circuit right now — Jolicoeur Desroches is typically the first man out of the water in all his races — the 23-year-old got his start in the water as a child. His mother, an accomplished open water swimmer, gave him early exposure to endurance sports, but he sometimes still can’t believe he’s racing at triathlon’s highest level. “I never thought I’d become a pro triathlete,” he says. “I’m looking forward to being able to devote more time to training when my degree is done so I can really see where I can go, and reach my full potential.” His surprising success, as he considers it, is part of the reason he puts so much effort into his social media channels (specifically Youtube), giving his sponsors such great exposure.
“I never really thought I’d be deserving of such great support, so I really want to give as much as I can back to each of them,” he explains. “I think it’s about more than just wearing the logo. If I can share my experience with the product or gear with others through social media, it provides more value to everyone.”
His Youtube videos document his day-to-day training in creative ways, but also provide training tips across all disciplines.
“I really love sharing my experience, especially with beginners, and helping people improve,” he says. “I also really like finding interesting stories in triathlon outside of the pro world and I share those on my podcast.”
With a passion for healthy eating and living — Jolicoeur Desroches is a vegan and advocate for animal rights — he ultimately hopes to combine his love for sport and nutrition in a career down the road. For now, he’s enjoying staying busy in school, training and improving all around as a triathlete.
“A top-10 finish at world championships is the goal right now,” he says.—cd