This story appeared originally as part of a combined story in a column for the Sudbury Star - it has been expanded to include more input from the athlete and coaches alike

Immersed in the local sports scene for the majority of my now sixty years on earth, I have become keenly aware of the broad spectrum of activities in the Sudbury basin. On almost a daily basis, I am catching wind of news and achievements of athletes involved with pretty much every sport imaginable.

Two more to highlight today, with perhaps very little cross-over in terms of the sporting worlds in which they exist and thrive, yet both equally deserving of the spotlight that now shines their way.

Thirty-five year old Special Olympian Mathieu Gervais has been involved with the program since the age of ten, not long after his younger brother Eric took a liking to sport. And while he has enjoyed success at a national level, initially in bowling and now on the snowshoes, he’s been more than a little unlucky in terms of pursuing his dream of attending the Special Olympic World Games.

While bowling was not recognized at the Games on a global level when Gervais claimed gold at a Canadian five-pin event a few years back, his road to glory via his winter passion seemed a given, cracking the Team Canada roster after a four medal performance (two gold and two silver) in Thunder Bay in early 2020.

After both the 2021 and 2022 events fell victim to the global pandemic, hope still remained high as Kazan (Russia) stepped in as host city for 2023. Hope remained high - until war broke out with the Ukraine, with World Special Olympics organizers confirming in early March that the festivities planned for one year from now had also been cancelled.

All of which takes nothing at all away from the impressive performances that Gervais has enjoyed, displaying a great deal of athletic versatility in the process. “I am pretty good at the 100m – that’s where I got my gold – well, that and the 400m,” he said recently. “You just try and get your mind off the (starting) gun, get your mind off your opponents and get your mind on the track.”

“And then as soon as you hear the gun, you go.”

And go he did, at one point slashing a full 12 seconds off his personal best time in the 400m race.

He did make note, however, of the fact that track conditions are critical when it comes to maximizing his potential. “Lately, I’ve been struggling to get my 400m going good again because I’m on our track, where the snow is all mixed up – soft and hard; you don’t know what you’re going to get,” said Gervais.

“On the groomed track (in Thunder Bay), I just ran my guts out. It really does help you appreciate the surface of the track. You appreciate what you’re running on. When it’s nice and smooth, you appreciate it.”

That is something that coach and father Jean-Gilles Gervais understands all too well as he assembles his current roster of seven or eight snowshoe regulars in Sudbury.

“We use the small (200m) track at Laurentian,” explained Jean-Gilles, assisted in his coaches duties by both his wife, Lise, as well as volunteer coach Karley Albrecht. “If we didn’t have any snow for a week, then the track would be really packed down and it would be fine. But every time we had fresh snow, it made it harder for the athletes because they had to pack through it.”

“They couldn’t get their speed that they normally get.”

When the conditions are ideal, however, Mathieu is able to show his stuff, a very special Special Olympian indeed. “I personally think the 100m is his favourite and what he is best at,” said Albrecht. “He has a really explosive start and he’s very good at accelerating quickly and maintaining that acceleration and speed throughout the whole race.”

For his part, Gervais is far more of a fan of the shorter distances than the 5kms or 10kms options that also exist. "Those are endurance races," he said. "You've got to get your whole body in there - and it's long."

In addition to the sports noted above, Gervais has also found time to squeeze in a little swimming, some bocce and floor hockey, as well as track and field, likely the event most similar to snowshoeing.

"They are almost the same except that track has more stuff going on: track has shot put, track has running long jump," he said. "I did a little bit of everything, even the shot put. But I like running the most, just to see if I can be faster than the other guy."

Gervais usually is (faster), a testament to his technique. "When I run the corners (on snowshoe), I try and keep my feet horizontal and then you can run straight. The only way you trip is if you start to throw your feet around too much."

"Keep them straight and you're OK."

Of course, the evolution of the equipment over time certainly hasn't hurt his cause. "When we first started, we used to have those big snowshoes that were almost as tall as he is," said Jean-Gilles, with a smile.

"All the snowshoes now are aluminum; everybody is going for aluminum," added his son. "They're better - they don't soak up the snow as much."

In being selected for Team Canada, Gervais was not only assessed for the gold medal victories he recorded in the 100m and 400m and the silver that he nabbed in the 200m, but also for his willingness to jump in and assist New Brunswick, snowshoeing the lead leg in their 4 X 100m relay performance that saw the Maritimers earn a second place finish.

"It shows that you're not just thinking of yourself, you're thinking of someone else," said Gervais.

Thankfully, there are plenty of people thinking of Mathieu Gervais.

With the cancellation of the 2023 World Games, national organizers have decided to bring together the entire roster of the team that would have represented Canada in Russia, hosting a multi-day celebration in Toronto.

And though he is not getting any younger, the local Special Olympic star hasn't yet given up on the possibility of being named to the next set of World Games, with a trip to Italy in 2025 seemingly the ultimate prize for all of his hard work and dedication.