Métis
The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...
sprint kayaker from
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
,
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
, Canada. He is a
Canada Games
The Canada Games (french: Jeux du Canada) is a multi-sport event held every two years, alternating between the Canada Winter Games and the Canada Summer Games. They represent the highest level of national competition for Canadian athletes. Two ...
multiple medalist and a member of the Canadian Junior National Kayak Team.
Lavallée was the (male) recipient of the 2017
Tom Longboat Awards
The Tom Longboat Awards were established in 1951 to recognize Aboriginal athletes "for their outstanding contributions to sport in Canada" and continues "to honour Indigenous athletes across Canada" annually. As a program of the Aboriginal Sport C ...
, awarded annually to the most outstanding male and female indigenous athletes in Canada.
Personal life
At an early age, Lavallée was diagnosed with both dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which led to a frustrating elementary school experience. To relieve the stresses of school life, Lavallée turned to the sport of kayaking at the age of eleven. His family would visit
Fort Whyte
Fort Whyte is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created in 1999, after the provincial electoral boundaries commission determined that southwestern Winnipeg had experienced enough population growth to ...
, in southwestern Winnipeg, during the summers to take advantage of their kayaking program.
Overcoming his earlier learning disabilities, Lavallée is currently an environmental science student at the
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.ICF Junior & U23 Canoe World Championships in
Szeged
Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...
, Hungary. Lavallée also attended the 2015 ICF Junior & U23 Canoe World Championships in Milan, racing the K1 200-m Then, at the 2017 Canada Summer Games (hosted in his hometown of Winnipeg) Lavallée won three medals, including a silver in the K1 200-m and two bronzes in the K1 500-m and K4 200-m events (K referring to the number of athletes in the kayak).
His goal is to qualify for the
2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, Japan.
In 2018, he was named a 2019
Indspire Award
The Indspire Awards, until 2012 the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, are annual awards presented by Indspire in Canada. The awards are intended to celebrate and encourage excellence in the Aboriginal community.
About
The awards were fir ...
recipient.
Heritage
Although in his family their "Métis heritage was hidden on both sides," Lavallée is an outspoken advocate for indigenous cultural heritage. During medal ceremonies, notably at the 2017 Canada Games, Lavallée would wear his
ceinture fléchée
The ceinture fléchée (French for "arrowed sash"; English: L'Assomption sash or "arrow sash") is a type of colourful sash, a traditional piece of Québécois clothing linked to at least the 17th century (of the Lower Canada, Canada East and e ...
(Metis sash) on the podium. One day, he “hopes to introduce more people to kayaking through an Indigenous holistic paddling program he wants to start with a fellow Métis athlete.”