Name: Francois Coulombe-Fortier
Sport: Taekwondo
Hometown: Québec, QC
Nickname: Frank
Favorite Sports Memory: Winning our National Championship which is our Olympic Qualifier.
How you got involved in your sport: I start teaching Taekwondo when I was 13 years old and I haven’t stopped. It’s my passion to give the opportunity to the younger athletes to improve.
The moment you knew you wanted to represent Canada: My first time on the national team in 2003. It was the first time that I got to wear the maple leaf.
Favorite Quote: Lâche pas la patates! Ca va être correct!
CAN Fund Testimonial: Thank you very much CAN Fund. You have given me the chance to completely focus on the London Games. To all Canadians who support CAN Fund, thank you! This support is the difference between winning and losing.
Best Result: Olympic qualification, Gold Medalist at the 2011 Pan Am Championship
Share one valuable tool that you use on a daily basis that helps you to be the best athlete you can be.Visualization is very important; I use this every day to see myself in many different situations.
Who is one person in your life that has impacted your career and what was it that they taught you? My coach Alain Bernier is the most important person in my career. He always tells me the right thing at the right moment.
Have you read any articles or books or watched any videos or movies recently that really inspired you? There are two movies that inspire me that I watch often: Cinderella Man and Any given Sunday.
Fun Facts: I really like to play golf. In the Winter I watch Golf on TV Channel and listen to the pros who are commentating. I also practice my golf swing in my apartment and sometimes I play golf on Play Station!
