Justine Dufour-Lapointe is a two times Olympic freestyle skier and the youngest in a famous skiing family. She was the Olympic champion in the moguls event at the 2014 Winter Olympics and won a silver medal in moguls at the 2018 Winter Olympics. The gold and silver she and her sister Chloe Dufour-Lapointe won in 2014 was the first time that Canadian sisters stood together on the podium, and the fourth time ever by all nations.
In winning the Olympics, she became the youngest freestyle skiing Olympic champion ever at nineteen years of age. Dufour-Lapointe was the FIS World Cup rookie of the year for the 2010–11 season. Dufour-Lapointe was the world champion in moguls at the 2015 World Championships has also won a silver and two other bronze medals in the moguls event at the Freestyle World Ski Championships.
Today, Namita Nayyar, President Women Fitness catches up with the inspirational Justine Dufour-Lapointe, to get you glimpses of her lifestyle, PyeongChang journey and life after the great Olympic Games.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You started your career during the 2010–11 FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup, where you became the youngest female winner of an FIS World Cup moguls event at the age of 16. You reached the pinnacle of success by winning the Olympics in 2014, becoming the youngest freestyle skiing Olympic champion ever at nineteen years of age and the rest is history. Share with us your journey in the world of skiing.
Ms. Justine Dufour-Lapointe:
I think I started skiing because of my sister, because I wanted to follow them and I thought they were cool and that’s how I started mogul skiing. At that time I didn’t have a goal, I was just loving it, having fun and what I loved the most was competing.
I was actually having trouble training and have fun during training, because the only fun that I was having was when I was actually competing, the adrenaline rush. It started when I was in Vancouver, watching Chloe, we flew there with our family and it was there that it clicked, when I saw the venue, and saw the whole world stop for a minute, stop for two weeks, just to watch athletes perform. Just to watch my sister perform for 30-seconds, and that’s when I thought Wow! This is great! This is bigger than myself, and I thought I want to be a part of it, I want to be a champion and do this. So after that I focused on how can I be there, and in 2011, I joined the National Team and won my first World Cup event. People say that I always had that fire in me I was driven by adrenaline; I was driven by this amazing energy. And therefore, I was not thinking and just doing it and I think that was my edge over the other girls, and that’s how I got to Sochi and won the Olympic Gold Medal.
I was always a chaser, a fighter, a tiger!
All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2018 Women Fitness
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You were only 16 when you won the FIS World Cup, becoming an inspiration for thousands of women who look upto you. Provide us an insight into a day in your life.
Ms. Justine Dufour-Lapointe:
After waking up, I have an amazing breakfast, for me my breakfast is the most important. I eat a ton of fruits in the morning and even in my competition days. Then I have my green smoothie.
Then we do a warm-up, an hour of warm-up. Then we go to some hill for a run, normally a stretch would be 6-8 runs, but it depends on the snow condition. That takes around 2-3 hours. Then we go back to the gym straight and work out there for about an hour, then we have a physiotherapy or muscle treatment.
I love to cook actually, so we make our own dinner. It’s my way to do my thing and stop thinking. It helps me to follow my recipe and make something to eat, which we always do together. Before going to bed, I do a little bit of stretching. This is how my training day looks like.
But when I’m back home and I’m not training, I just like to be a woman. I see my friends, go to a great restaurant, have coffee, and have fun. I love shopping, I love fashion. My sisters and I, we always try to be fashion forward. So we try to find the best luggage that we can find. If not, I just like to cook, like I said, when I’m back home. I love photography also, especially when I’m travelling. I like to capture moments and keep them in my journal, I like writing in my journal, it helps me to let everything out and when you write it down, your brain can stop thinking after that. You can let out your fears, and it’s actually a very good exercise for everyone. It’s a good way to learn about yourself.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
How does it feel to become the 2018 Silver medalist at the Winter Olympics? Also, share with us your preparation, training and motivation that has helped you to become an Olympic Champion?
Ms. Justine Dufour-Lapointe:
Going to Pyeongchang was really different. As an athlete, when I got to Sochi, I was so young. I was just driven by this dream, without knowing what it was actually. I prepared with my team so well that on the day I was just doing it and not thinking. I could feel the pressure, but I was so connected in the moment that I was able to give good performance at the right moment and end up with a Gold medal, which was amazing, I was just not prepared for the after. But I think because I was sharing the same experience, the same life-changing with my sisters Chloe and Max, I think it helped me so much. They helped me stay grounded through this life-changing experience. At first it was shocking, because being only 19 years old, winning a Gold medal, every eyes are on you, have to be a role-model, it’s a lot of pressure and your life is changing and nobody is ready for that. But because I was not alone and I was with another amazing person like my sister, it helped me stayed grounded.
Going to Pyeongchang, it was Chloe’s third Olympics and my second Olympic. The second Olympic Games were so different, you know what you’re going to see and you can expect things, but you cannot compare. It will look a lot alike, but don’t get trapped into it. It’s a little tricky, I got a lot of pressure going to Pyeongchang, a lot of interviews, a lot of people saying you have to defend your title.
I was like no I’m not defending my title because I’m going to be an Olympic Champion for the rest of my life, and nobody can take that back. I can go and win a lot of medals, that’s what I said.
But coming here we got a lot of challenges. The past year was one of the hardest years of our life. One year before the Olympic Games, my mother got diagnosed that she was having a lung cancer, so that changed a lot, because we are very close in our family. Our mom is our rock, she is a solid person, that I always count on and when I felt like talking to someone, it would be my mom, she knew me so well. So it really changed me.
So going to Pyeongchang and train was hard, because I was crying for no reason sometimes, my heart felt heavy and so full of emotion. But it was then diagnosed that our mom was in remission in September, which was a miracle, because she fought so hard and won her battle, which was an inspiration for me. So going to Pyeongchang, I thought now I’m free and my mom will be there at the bottom of the course, my family, my sisters will be there with me and there could be worse things than that. So I went to Pyeongchang with so much more courage, and so much more strength. I thought this is my day and my only chance after four years, and after all the hard work and the crazy past year, I needed to enjoy that for me. So let’s do this!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You were the Olympic champion in the moguls event at the 2014 Winter Olympics and then won a silver medal in moguls at the 2018 Winter Olympics. How have the two victories been different and satisfying in their own way?
Ms. Justine Dufour-Lapointe:
The difference between those two was that I changed. I was a little less prepared in 2014, which was perfect then, in 2018, I was way more prepared and more conscious about what was going on, I knew what I was able to control and I think I had a great work done with my psychologist, to calm me down, which is easy and simple. I was able to control my thoughts and decide what to think about and to be in the moment.
So for me, those two medals are of different colors for sure, but the silver medal means so much more, because I know how hard I worked every single day. It was hard to put my skiis on and just go ski-train. Last year was so horrible, that for me to have the courage to step up and give this amazing performance in Pyeongchang where all the world was watching me and with all the pressure, I decided to control what I wanted and I decided that I want to cross that finish line and me proud of myself, my skiing and knowing that I gave my everything out there. So I have no regrets and for me that medal was a victory, for myself, to be able to prove to myself that I was able to do it again. And do it with my family, after all that we have been through, so it was way more than a medal, it was victory for me and my family. So it’s going to be more than just a Silver Medal.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Winning involves a lot of determination and hard work, more so in the life of a sportswoman. What exercises comprise your fitness regime both on a daily basis & when you are preparing for competition?
Ms. Justine Dufour-Lapointe:
I just love feeling healthy, isn’t it just the best feeling? You feel like you are on the top of your body, your strength and you feel like you’re managing every aspect of your body. It’s just such a great reward. For us, we train 11 months a year and have about a month off. I think for me there is no compromise; it’s just the way I live, I try to be healthy, eat the best that I could every single day, so it’s more of a lifestyle. Ofcourse, there are cheat days on occasions to celebrate.
So I prepare myself for competing, the peak time is from October to September, I start to feel more stronger and get our body in shape. We start in summer, slowly, end of summer we are more heavy on the weights. We do full-body and we train for 6 days a week at our gym with our trainer, who has helped many other athletes as well. So it is great to train with men and other people from different sports and we try to motivate each other.
Monday is leg day, Tuesday is upper body and abs, then Wednesday we do a cardio circuit, which is a whole body workout, Thursday is leg back, then Friday we do stretching, really intense and then Saturday we do another big circuit with more cardio and intensity. So on Sunday, we have a day off. Till November we get in good shape, since the competitions stat in December. We have the peak of our body in January-February and we end up our season in March. What is funny is that we gain 8-10 pounds of leg in summer and then lose it completely in March. So it’s a long process to keep your legs strong and healthy through the winter.
But because we are competing, we lose a little bit of weight, because we cannot do that much training and body weight, for maintaining our bodies to be strong and fit while competing.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Sports-related nutrition is an integral part in the life of a sports person to cope with the pressure and recover from wear & tear. There is no doubt you too need to take special care of your diet? Do you follow a strict menu to stay healthy and physically fit?
Ms. Justine Dufour-Lapointe:
I have always eaten everything healthy but in the last year, I have tried to learn more about it. For me eating healthy was never a problem, I just love trying new things. I have never followed a strict diet, I eat what I want to eat, what my body wants to eat and that’s it.
I eat the best that I can wherever I am. Because when you’re at home, you’re steady, it is easy but I’m always traveling round the year, so it’s not easy to have a consistent balance and have the same thing.
I try to eat more fruit in the morning, for lunch I love to have soups, I love to have veggies, salad, big bowl of green, quinoa salads.
For dinner, I like to cook like a veggie stew. Last year I tried to cook more veggies and less meat, and I actually didn’t miss it that much. Right now, it is more of substitute, so when I’m not eating meat I eat more of fruits and vegetables for every meal as the main course.
I also take some supplements like protein powder, there is a vegan one that I really enjoy, so when I’m traveling I always have my pack around me. So when I need a boost between two races or after a big day if you need to have more carbs, because you have lost so much water and energy, so I have this recovery chocolate protein shake that I love. I also drink a lot of things throughout the day, Drink to think is my favourite, most tasty thing.
I don’t force myself to be like someone or eat like someone, I just be myself and eat what I want, which is what I have learnt and what I think is right for me.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Being a professional athlete, you are a role model for many striving to make their dream come true; provide us with some motivational words to help others climb up the ladder of success in this field?
Ms. Justine Dufour-Lapointe:
I don’t feel like I’m a role model, I am a two-time Olympian, two-time medalist, World Champion, but it’s not only who I am, I am Justine, Justine Dufour-Lapointe, a driven person, I’m passionate, and for me I’ve always been like that. I’m passionate when I love what I’m doing, I just do it right and try to have the best team around me to accomplish my dream. When you have a goal, set yourself big goals, and don’t be shy about it and tell people around you that I have a goal and dare to dream girl, because you will achieve whatever your dream is, because our dream is just a dream if we don’t share it with people. And for me being in a family with strong women, like my mother and my sister, it’s always been natural.
I think I have been lucky having three amazing women right in front of me, showing me that it is ok to be a strong woman as well. I have been happy through my life, because I have never been ashamed of being fit, strong, healthy woman, because my mother and my sisters are like that and so I’ve always been myself, and never been afraid to dream and doing it.
And I also surround myself with it, because the best thing in life to accomplish things is to surround yourself with the best people around you that can make you shine, the best that you could and I guess why it worked so well in my life, it’s because I was surrounded by my sisters they were the best support, the best competition for me, the best people to drive me to be a better person.
In this world, you don’t have to think that a woman is a competition for you, but is actually your best supporter, when you can find the best person who can be like your sister and cheer you on and always be there for each other. It felt so warm to have my sisters with me and we felt stronger together. So for me surrounding yourself with the best team and thinking like women together can achieve greater things than when they’re alone and don’t feel afraid about it. It will always make you shine and together we’re always more stronger.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You and your sister Chloe Dufour-Lapointe won silver in 2014, which was the first time that you both stood together on the podium, and the fourth time ever by all nations. Tell us how does it feel to have your own sisters standing by you at all times and being in the same sport?
Ms. Justine Dufour-Lapointe:
Sharing the podium in Sochi with Chloe was just amazing. We had so much emotion and so much surprise at the bottom of the hill. I thought I’m going to be an Olympic champion for the rest of my life, this is so big, I was realizing what it meant. It was not only a medal, it was life-changing and I was not ready for it. And only because I was there next to my sister that I felt let’s do this together, we are not alone. We thought we’re together and let’s do this together. I just remember that I wanted to jump on that podium with my sister Chloe. I felt stronger with her and this was an amazing feeling and one of my most favorite memory of all time, stepping on that podium and take her hand and share that moment deeply inside of us, was just a dream come true for both of us.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
The past year has been a difficult one with you struggling to find your world-class form and your mother battling cancer. Through all the tough and difficult times, what was the driving force that has brought you where you are today?
Ms. Justine Dufour-Lapointe:
The force that helped me through this really hard past year was to see my family holding up together, not feeling alone. We were all feeling the same way, we were all scared, completely vulnerable, and scared of death and not knowing what will be next was the worst feeling ever.
And the way I had to train myself, workout and train to go to the Olympic Games, which will be the most scary day of my life, I don’t know how I did.
Seeing my mom and dad battling this cancer so fiercely, they were not sure they would win but they were going for it. No matter what they were fighting every single day, that was really as inspiration for me. And I thought I have a part of this in my body, I am like my mother in a way, and it’s living inside of me the force that she has and I can use it.
So the fire was a little bit down at some point, I was just so much full of emotion and tiredness of emotion, so when we found out that she was in remission and that she had won, it felt like such a relief. But we were still very tired of this really big year.
We kept that to ourselves pretty much; we were not sharing that much with many people. It’s really hard to share and talk about cancer, because sometimes you don’t know what to say and so I kept it to me. But when we were doing World Cups in the season, we realized we need to put it out to feel free again, and not be scared that our mum will be there at the bottom of the course and I think telling to the media we felt so much free, so much lighter and it helped me going to the next page and turn that one, even though myself I was still in that story and I will always be scared that it will come back. But now I felt that I can move on and think about me and myself and that my mom will be in Pyeonchang, which will be the most incredible thing in the world, now there is no more thing that can scare me, like what could scare me more than being at the Olympic without my mother.
So let’s go do it and do it for yourself, you’ve worked so hard to be there. Go enjoy and be proud of yourself, at the end of the day, that’s your only goal. Nobody can be proud for you, except you.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Having performed so well throughout your career, who are your role models, inspiration, and motivator in your career as an athlete?
Ms. Justine Dufour-Lapointe:
For me, it has never been so much about role model. For me, my role model has always been my sisters. Been so lucky having those amazing women in front of me, it was such a pleasure and they taught me so much. And that’s why I am the person that I am today and the athlete that I am because they traced me the path and that is why I hold them so much.
I love to read about other athletes like Lindsey Vonn. Every athlete what I love about has a different story, a different personality, everybody is so different and so differently stressed, pressure and training, so it’s really interesting to learn about it because we have so many different approaches, and shows how I love to think about role models, what they’ve done and what made them so great, and what I can take from that.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
After such an incredible Olympic season, what are your future plans?
Ms. Justine Dufour-Lapointe:
Right now, I want to go back home, for a while. Me and my sisters, we created our logo the past year and create our own jewelry, a necklace. And while I was here in Pyeongchang, the three of us, not on the competition day, but while Maxime was cheering for us, we all wore our jewelry. One gold, one rose gold and one silver, and while I was packing my bag, I thought I forgot my necklace, so I wore it before my race day. So I knew I had to wear it because it was like having my family, three of us, around my neck, competing and knowing that both of my sisters will be there next to me in my heart. So I think, we want to maybe sell it, to people who want to have a little piece of us, around their neck as well. Me and my sisters are so close and we love to work together.
I have so many ideas, I am a passionate person, and I just want to make my ideas come true. I love fitness, it is a passion for me, it is way more than just a lifestyle, I just love doing it when I’m training, and competing well and my body is how I want it to look like. And maybe share some of my recipes online, and on my website. It’s still in process, but I love food and sharing that with people, I have created so many recipes in the past year and share some of my training, that I do, because we do so many different trainings with our trainers. So it is inspirational for me, you can always learn new things, new tools and exercises and thinking about what could be next. It always inspires me and helps me to think the same way. So I will share some of my fitness tricks with you guys, I think it would be fun.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Women Fitness works relentlessly with a goal to reach out to women all over the world providing them with best in health, fitness, beauty & fashion. What do you wish to say about the website (Womenfitness.net) and message for our readers?
Ms. Justine Dufour-Lapointe:
Be proud to be a woman. Be proud because I feel we’re so badass! I always tell women that, love to be a proud woman. It can be healthy, strong and look good all in the same way, no matter what, we are all different. Be proud of who you are and I don’t care what people think, I’m doing that for myself. People say bad things around, but the only person, at the end of the day that will tell you that you’re beautiful, nice and good is you and nobody else. So do everything you can, for yourself first. Put yourself first in life and it’s ok to do that. That’s one thing that I learnt being a professional athlete that you have to put yourself first, and surround yourself with amazing people, that believe in you and your dream. And push aside people that drown you. You don’t need anybody to stop you. You only need a pusher and believer around you to make you greater. Don’t be afraid to be that amazing, strong, independent woman that you are. And surround yourself with people who are like you and want to be like you.
We are so thankful to have such a young, inspiring and wonderful sports legend speak to us and share her journey in the most beautiful way. Thank you Justine!
Follow her Olympic journey on:
- https://www.instagram.com/justinedufourlapointe/
- https://twitter.com/jdufourlapointe
- https://www.facebook.com/dufourlapointe
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All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2018 Women Fitness