KC Jordan, LJI Reporter

Julie Brousseau spent her childhood summers on the shores of the Ottawa River, learning how to swim.
Her family had a cottage in Norway Bay, a community with a deep connection to the water. She couldn’t get enough of it — when she wasn’t taking lessons, she was swimming with her friends and cousins.
It was also where Julie got her first taste of competition. She participated in the annual Regatta, a community summer staple that involves an array of athletics contests, including swimming.
In her early teens, Julie’s family stopped summering at the cottage. But the call of the water stayed with her.
She started training competitively in Ottawa, making waves as one of Canada’s best young swimming prospects.
She won 11 medals at the 2022 Canada Games, and added three more at last year’s Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
Then, in May, Julie achieved something she never thought possible.
She became an Olympian.
Her performance at the Canadian swimming trials qualified her for this summer’s Paris Olympics. She will compete in the 4x200m freestyle, a team event where each swimmer completes four lengths of the pool.
With her qualification, Julie joins a long line of decorated Canadian swimmers. Walking alongside her at the July 26 opening ceremonies will be Penny Oleksiak, Canada’s all-time leading Olympic medalist, and Summer McIntosh, the current world record-holder in the 400-metre individual medley.
Julie is excited at the opportunity to compete alongside these women.
“I remember watching the past two Olympics and seeing Penny and all of them swimming there,” she said. “So it’s crazy that now I’ll get to be on a team with them.”
Preparations for the Games have been intense. Julie said she’s in the pool nine times a week.
“I’m pretty much always at the Sportsplex, swimming and lifting weights.”
When she’s not swimming, Julie is a student at Nepean High School, where she’s hitting the books trying to wrap up her Grade 12 year.
“Sometimes I have to miss two weeks of school at a time,” she said.
At the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, Canada narrowly missed out on a medal in Julie’s event, finishing in fourth place. This year, she wants to help her country improve on that result.
In Paris, Julie plans to immerse herself in the Olympic experience — exploring the athletes’ village, meeting people from around the world, and taking in lots of sports.
Naturally, she’ll be watching a lot of swimming. Many of her teammates are medal favourites in this year’s Games, and she’ll be at the pool cheering them on.
But she’s also looking forward to taking in some other sports. As a former competitive basketball player, she still follows the game, and she’s excited to see both Canadian teams on the court.
“Hopefully they can bring home a medal,” she said.
Once the Games come to a close in early August, she and her family are going to the south of France to enjoy some much-needed rest and relaxation.
Then, it’s back to the grind. Julie will start training in preparation for her freshman year at the University of Florida, where she’ll swim for the Gators.