Vincent Gagnon (born September 5, 1981) is a Canadian retired

racquetball Racquetball is a racquet sport and a team sport played with a hollow rubber ball on an indoor or outdoor court. Joseph Sobek invented the modern sport of racquetball in 1950, adding a stringed racquet to paddleball in order to increase velo ...

player from

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. Gagnon won five Canadian Championships: four doubles titles and one singles. He also competed for Canada 19 times, winning multiple medals highlighted by gold at the 2007

Pan American Championships A Pan American Championship is a top level international sports competition between athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs in the Americas. Typically these championships are recurring, the most ...

in Men's Doubles with

François Viens François Viens (born March 7, 1975) is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Delson, Quebec. Viens was a doubles specialist during his career usually playing on the right side. He won four Canadian Championships in doubles, three with Vince ...

Junior Years

Gagnon began playing racquetball at 9, and was introduced to it by his father Michel Gagnon, who was his coach throughout his career – and is one o
Racquetball Canada's
National Team coaches. Although introduced to the sport early, Gagnon's success as a junior didn't come until his late teens when he won three consecutive Canadian Junior Championships. The first was in Boy's U16 Singles in 1998, and then in Boy's U18 Doubles with Jean-Philippe Morin in 1999, and finally in Boy's U18 Singles in 2000, which was his last year of juniors.

Racquetball career

Career begins (2001–2006)

Gagnon won the National Team Doubles Selection Event in 2001 with Francis Guillemette by defeating

Kris Odegard Kris Odegard (born February 29, 1980) is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Odegard won four Canadian Championships – two in singles and two in doubles. He also won several medals in international competition as ...

and Ryan Powell in the final. The win qualified them to play on Team Canada for the 2001

, which was the first appearances on the team for both of them. The 2001 Pan Am Championships were in San Pedro Sula,

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

, where Gagnon and Guillemette earned bronze medals. Gagnon and Francis Guillemette finished 5th at the 2002 National Team Doubles Selection Event in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

, as they lost to

Mike Ceresia Mike Ceresia is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Sarnia, Ontario. He was a member of five Canadian teams that won gold at the Racquetball World Championships, which is the most gold medals won by a Canadian at thInternational Racquetba ...

and

Corey Osborne Corey Osborne (born July 28, 1969) is a Canadian racquetball player from Penetanguishene, Ontario. Osborne is a former Canadian Champion in singles in 2005 and doubles (with François Viens in 2003). International career Osborne has made 4 ap ...

in the quarterfinals. In the Singles Selection Event that season, Gagnon finished 6th, after losing to

Kane Waselenchuk Kane Waselenchuk (born November 9, 1981) is a professional racquetball player born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Waselenchuk finished the 2018-19 season as the #1 player on the International Racquetball Tourbr> (IRT)for a record extending 13th ti ...

, 15–10, 15–5, in the quarterfinals. Gagnon and Francis Guillemette finished 4th at the 2003 National Team Doubles Selection Event in

, where they lost to

and

in the semi-finals, and then dropped the 3rd place match versus Mike Green and Tom O’Brien. Gagnon was 3rd in the Singles Selection Event that season, as he beat

in the 3rd place match, 11–15, 15–7, 11–7. Gagnon lost in the quarterfinals of Men's Singles to

, 8–15, 15–12, 11–8, at the 2003 Canadian Championships in Vancouver. In Men's Doubles, Gagnon and Francis Guillemette lost in the semi-finals to

and Brian Istace, 15–13, 17–15. They finished 3rd as Mike Green and Tom O’Brien defaulted the 3rd place match. Gagnon's 2nd Team Canada appearance was at the 2003 Pan Am Championships in

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional) , websi ...

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

, where Gagnon was a bronze medalist in Men's Singles, losing to American

Jack Huczek Jack Huczek (born January 13, 1983) is a retired American racquetball player. Huczek was a 3 timInternational Racquetball Federation (IRF)World Champion in Men's Singles, and he was the #1 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) player at the end of ...

, 15–7, 15–7, in the semi-finals. Gagnon and Francis Guillemette finished 7th at the 2004 National Team Doubles Selection Event in

, as they lost in the quarterfinals to Mike McPhee and Bill Shepley, 13–15, 15–9, 11–6. In the 7th place match, they defeated Eric Desrochers and

Tim Landeryou Tim Landeryou (born March 16, 1984) is a Canadian retired racquetball player. He was a member of the Canadian National Team from 2010 to 2020, winning multiple medals in international competitions. Junior Years Landeryou won the Boy's U14 Dou ...

, 15–7, 15–9. In the Singles Selection Event in Brossard, Québec, Gagnon lost to Brian Istace in the semi-finals, but won the 3rd place match against

, 15–4, 10–15, 11–1. At the 2004 Nationals in

Burlington, Ontario Burlington is a city in the Regional Municipality of Halton at the northwestern end of Lake Ontario in Ontario, Canada. Along with Milton to the north, it forms the western end of the Greater Toronto Area and is also part of the Hamilton met ...

, Gagnon and Francis Guillemette were seeded 4th but were upset by Eric Desrochers and

, 15–14, 15–2, in the quarterfinals. In the 2004–05 season, Gagnon began playing doubles with

. They finished 3rd at the National Team Doubles Selection Event in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, where they beat

and Scott Lineker, 15–6, 15–9, in the quarterfinals. Then in the final four playoff, they beat Eric Desrochers and

, but lost to both Mike Green and Brian Valin and to Brian Istace and

. In the Singles Selection Event, Gagnon reached the final for the first time by coming back from a game down to defeat Brian Istace, 5–15, 15–5, 13–11. He faced Mike Green in the final, and Green won in a tie-breaker, 16–14, 6–15, 11–5. At the 2005 Canadian Championships in

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 C ...

Gagnon lost in the singles quarterfinals to

, 13–15, 15–3, 11–1. In doubles, Gagnon and

reached the final by beating Odegard and Ryan Powell, 15–8, 15–6, in the semi-finals. But they lost the final against Mike Green and Brian Istace, 15–6, 15–5. At the 2006 National Team Doubles Selection Event in Calgary, Gagnon and

finished 3rd behind Mike Green and Brian Istace in 1st and Francis Guillemette and

in 2nd. Burnaby, British Columbia was the site of the Singles Selection Event, and Gagnon finished 2nd behind Green, who beat him 15–9, 15–7, in the final four round. Gagnon was upset in the Men's Singles Round of 16 at the 2006 Canadian Championships in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, where he lost to

, 13–15, 15–6, 11–9. He and

were runners up in Men's Doubles, as they beat Francis Guillemette and

in the semi-finals, 18–16, 11–15, 11–8, but lost in the final to Mike Green and Brian Istace, 15–7, 15–10.

International gold & 1st Selection Event win (2007–2012)

At the 2007 National Team Doubles Selection Event in Victoria, British Columbia, Gagnon and

finished 2nd after losing to Mike Green and Brian Istace, 15–10, 15–10. But in Brossard, Québec Gagnon won the Singles Selection Event for the first time in 2007, when he defeated Green,

and Viens in the final four playoff round. Gagnon captured gold in Men's Doubles with

at the 2007

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, where he and Viens defeated Americans

Andy Hawthorne Andy Hawthorne, OBE is a British evangelist, author and founder of The Message Trust, a Christian mission organisation based in Manchester, UK. Working for over 30 years with young people and communities across the UK. His initiatives and the ...

and Jason Samora in the final, 15–6, 11–15, 11–9. At the 2007 Canadian Championships, Gagnon lost in the semi-finals of singles to

, but won the 3rd place match against Ryan Smith. He got to the semis by defeating

in the quarterfinals. He played doubles with

and they were runners up to Mike Green and Brian Istace,. In the 2007–08 National Team Selection Events, Gagnon and

came 2nd in the Doubles Selection Event, behind only

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...

and Brian Istace, who beat them 15–11, 15–12. At the Singles Selection Event, Gagnon made the final four playoff by defeating James Landeryou, 15–8, 15–11, in the quarterfinals. However, he suffered an injury in the playoff round, so finished 4th. Gagnon and

won Men's Doubles at the 2008 Canadian Championships defeating beating

and Brian Istace in the final, 15–13, 6–15, 11–6. They beat Francis Guillemette and

in the semi-finals, 15–10, 3–11, 11–3, to reach the final. Gagnon was also in the finals of Men's Singles, as he defeated Odegard in the semis, 15–11, 7–15, 11–6. But he lost the final to Green, 15–8, 15–11. Despite the being National Champions in doubles, Gagnon played singles at the 2008 World Championships in Kingscourt, Ireland, where he was a bronze medalist in Men's Singles by beating Mexican Polo Gutierrez, 15–5, 11–15, 11–8, in the quarterfinals, but losing to

of the US, 15–11, 15–8, in the semi-finals. He also earned bronze in the Men's Team event, as Canada defeated Costa Rica in the quarterfinals, 2–1, lost to Mexico in the semi-finals, 2–1, but beat Bolivia, 2–1, for the bronze medal. In the National Team Doubles Selection Event in Windsor, Ontario, Gagnon and

finished 2nd behind

and Brian Istace, who defeated them 15–11, 15–12, in the final four playoff. Gagnon finished 4th at the National Team Singles Selection Event in Brossard, Québec in February 2009. He beat Francis Guillemette, 15–3, 15–9, to qualify for the final four playoff round, but didn't win a match in the playoff. At the 2009 Pan American Championships in

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, Gagnon played Men's Singles, and he lost in the quarterfinals to the USA's

, 11–15, 15–8, 11–2. Edmonton hosted the 2009 Canadian Championships, and there Gagnon and

won Men's Doubles by defeating

and Eric Desrochers in the final, and beating James Landeryou and

in the semi-finals, 15–11, 15–5. In Men's Singles, Gagnon finished 3rd, as he lost to Green in the semi-finals, 15–1, 15–12, but got a win over Francis Guillemette due to an injury default. Gagnon won bronze at the

2009 World Games The 2009 World Games () the eighth edition of the World Games, were an international multi-sport event held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan (under the name Chinese Taipei) from 16 July 2009 to 26 July 2009. The games featured sports that are not contested i ...

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, where he defeated Mexican

Álvaro Beltrán Álvaro Beltrán (born October 15, 1978), is a Mexican professional racquetball player. Beltrán is the currenInternational Racquetball Federation(IRF) World Champion in Men's Doubles with Daniel De La Rosa, winning the title in 2022 in San Lui ...

, in the bronze medal match, 15–11, 12–15, 11–7. In that tournament, Gagnon defeated Daniel Maggi of Argentina in the Round of 16, then Fernando Rios of Ecuador in the quarterfinals, but lost to

of the US in the semi-finals, 3–15, 15–8, 11–7, which put him in the bronze medal match. Gagnon was on Team Canada for the 2010 Pan American Championships in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. He beat Andres Herrera of Colombia in the Round of 16, 15–4, 15–5, but lost to eventual champion Ricardo Monroy of Bolivia, 15–10, 15–7, in the quarterfinals. This was Odegard's 3rd consecutive bronze medal at the Pan Am Championships. Gagnon was the #1 men's player in Canada from June 22, 2010 to February 23, 2011, although he hadn't won a national championship in singles. But Gagnon did win the 2010 National Team Selection Event. Gagnon was on Team Canada for the 2010

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, where he earned two medals: a bronze medal in Men's Singles and silver in the Men's Team event. Gagnon defeated Colombian Francisco Gomez in the quarterfinals, but lost to the USA's

in the semi-finals, 15–12, 15–12. In the Men's Team event, Canada beat Ecuador in the quarterfinals, Costa Rica in the semi-finals, before losing to the US in final. Gagnon played at the

US Open Racquetball Championships The UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships is the premier professional racquetball event. It is a Grand Slam event with men and women competing from the International Racquetball Tour and Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour, respectivel ...

several times, although he didn't have much success in the

International Racquetball Tour The International Racquetball Tour (IRT) is the leading professional racquetball organization for men's competition. It was founded in 1991 and is the successor to previous iterations of the tour by different names. Professional Men's racquetbal ...

(IRT) division. However, Gagnon was in three consecutive Men's Open finals at the US Open, winning back to back titles in 2009 and 2010 after losing in 2008. His successful title defence in 2010 came at the expense of two Canadians: in the semi-finals Gagnon defeated

, 4–15, 15–9, 11–7, and in the final beat

, 15–6, 15–13. Although Gagnon didn't play the first National Team Selection Event of 2009–10, he won the second event, sweeping the final four playoff round with wins over Mike Green,

and

. At the 2010 Canadian Championships in

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Gagnon finished 3rd, as he lost in the semi-finals to Mike Green, 15–9, 15–12, but then won the 3rd place match against

, 15–10, 15–1. In doubles, he and

were in the finals, but lost to Green and Odegard, 14–16, 15–10, 11–7. They reached the final with a win over Francis Guillemette and

, 6–15, 15–13, 11–3. Gagnon won the first National Team Selection Event of 2010–11 in

by defeating

in the semi-finals, 8–15, 15–13, 11–3, and his former doubles partner Francis Guillemette in the final, 15–8, 15–3. Gagnon was also in the final of the second selection that season in Brossard, Québec, but that time he lost to Mike Green, 10–15, 15–7, 11–4. Gagnon competed in the 2011 Pan American Championships in Mangua,

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

, where he reached the semi-finals with a win over then defending champion Ricardo Monroy of Bolivia, 5–15, 15–14, 11–5. But Gagnon lost in the semis to Mexican Daniel De La Rosa, 15–13, 15–4, so he was a bronze medalist. At the 2011 Canadian Championships in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, Gagnon was a finalist in Men's Singles, losing to Mike Green, 15–4, 15–6, in the final. He got to the final with a win over

in the semi-finals, 17–15, 15–1. In doubles, Gagnon and

lost to Francis Guillemette and

in the semi-finals, 15–11, 10–15, 12–10, but won the 3rd place match versus James Landeryou and

, 15–5, 15–3. Gagnon competed at the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

for the first time in 2011 in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

, Mexico, where he earned bronze in Men's singles by defeating Luis Pérez of the

, 15–7, 15–9, in the quarterfinals, but losing to Mexican Gilberto Meija, 11–15, 15–14, 11–5, in the semi-finals. In the 2011–12 National Team Selection Events, Gagnon finished 2nd in the first event in Oakville, Ontario, losing the final to Mike Green, 15–8, 15–0. But Gagnon bounced back to win the second National Team Selection Event in

, where he beat

, 15–11, 10–15, 11–8, in the final. He defeated Nathaniel Husulak in the semi-finals, 15–8, 15–5. Gagnon went to

Temuco Temuco () is a city and commune, capital of the Cautín Province and of the Araucanía Region in southern Chile. The city is located south of Santiago. The city grew out from a fort of the same name established in 1881 during Chile's invasion ...

for the 2012

, and came home with a bronze medal after losing to Fernando Rios of Ecuador in the semi-finals. In 2012 in Brossard, Québec, Gagnon and

won Men's Doubles for the 3rd time at the Canadian Championships, by defeating Pedro Castro and Eric Desrochers in the final, 15–8, 8–15, 11–9. They got to the final with a tie-breaker win over Francis Guillemette and

, 15–2, 14–16, 11–4. In singles that year, Gagnon was runner up to Mike Green, losing the final, 15–2, 15–8, after beating

, 15–8, 7–15, 11–3, in the semi-finals. Gagnon partnered with Mike Green to play Men's Doubles at the 2012 World Championships in

, where they lost in the quarterfinals to Bolivians Roland Keller and Ricardo Monroy, 15–10, 15–11. But in the Men's Team competition Canada defeated Ecuador in the quarterfinals, Mexico in the semi-finals, before losing to the US in the final, so Gagnon came home with a silver medal from that event. After Worlds in 2012, Gagnon took the 2012–13 season off, during which his first child was born.

Successful return (2013–15)

He returned to competition in the 2013–14 season, when Gagnon was 2nd at both the National Team Selection Events. At the first in Winnipeg, Gagnon was runner up to Mike Green, losing in the final, 15–10, 15–12. He beat Samuel Murray, 7–15, 15–11, 11–5, in the semi-finals. At the second selection event in Brossard, Québec, Vincent Gagnon defeated

, 15–13, 13–15, 11–9, in the semi-finals, but again lost to Green in the final, 15–8, 15–8. Gagnon was a bronze medalist at the 2014 Pan Am Championships in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where he lost to Mexican Andree Parrilla, 15–10, 15–9. Gagnon won both singles and doubles at the 2014 Canadian Championships in Brossard, Québec. In doing so, he became the first

Québec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

born player to win the Canadian Men's Singles Championship. He defeated

in the singles final, 15–5, 13–15, 11–5, after beating

Coby Iwaasa Coby Iwaasa (born June 19, 1996) is a Canadian racquetball player. He is the 2022 Pan American Champion in Men's Doubles (with Samuel Murray), and was a bronze medalist at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. Junior years Iwaasa was a prodi ...

in the semi-finals, 15–10, 15–17, 11–6. Gagnon played doubles with Samuel Murray, and they beat

and Pedro Castro in the final, 15–12, 15–2. They reached the final with a win over Francis Guillemette and

, 15–8, 15–10. Gagnon became the fifth man to win both singles and doubles at the same Canadian Championships, after Wayne Bowes (twice),

and Mike Green (five times).

and Samuel Murray (twice) have done it since. Gagnon had a chance to win a

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in 2014 in Men's Doubles on home soil in

, as he and Mike Green got to the at the final with a win over the USA's Ben Croft and Tom Fuhrmann in the semi-finals, 15–11, 15–2. But it was not to be, as they lost to Colombians Sebastian Franco and Alejandro Herrera in the final, 15–11, 15–5. Nonetheless, with two Canadian Championships and a career best finish at Worlds, 2014 was arguably Gagnon's best year. The first National Team Selection Event of 2014–15 was in

Kitchener, Ontario ) , image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_blank_emblem = Logo of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , blank_emblem_type = ...

, where Gagnon was a finalist. He defeated

in the semi-finals, 15–7, 15–10, but lost to Mike Green, 15–13, 15–1, in the final. In the second selection event, Gagnon was 3rd, as he was upset by Pedro Castro in the semi-finals, 15–12, 15–13, but defeated

in the 3rd place match, 15–12, 15–13. Gagnon played Men's Doubles with Mike Green at the 2015 Pan American Championships in

, where they lost in the quarterfinals to Costa Ricans, Felipe Camacho and Teobaldo Fumero, 2–15, 15–11, 11–8. In

, Gagnon was 3rd in singles at the 2015 Canadian Championships, as he lost in the semi-finals to Samuel Murray, 15–10, 15–10, and then got a default win from Mike Green. In doubles, Gagnon and

Murray Murray may refer to: Businesses * Murray (bicycle company), an American manufacturer of low-cost bicycles * Murrays, an Australian bus company * Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trust * D. & W. Murray Limited, an Australian who ...

lost in the doubles semi-finals to

and

, 15–9, 9–15, 11–4, and then dropped the 3rd place match to Pedro Castro and

, 15–13, 15–12, so finished 4th. Gagnon competed in the

for the second time of his career in 2015, when he partnered with

for Men's doubles at the

2015 Pan American Games Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak alb ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. They defeated Argentina's Daniel Maggi and Shai Mazuri in the quarterfinals, but lost to Bolivians Roland Keller and Conrado Moscoso, 15–9, 15–11, in the semi-finals, resulting in bronze medals for them. Gagnon captured a second bronze medal in Toronto, as Canada defeated the

in the quarterfinals, but lost to the US in the semi-finals of the Men's Team event.

Career summary

Gagnon won five Canadian Championships: four times in doubles and one in singles. The first three doubles titles were with

and the last with Samuel Murray. He won both singles and doubles in 2014. Gagnon competed with Team Canada 19 times, winning 16 medals, including gold in Men's Doubles with

at the 2007

Pan American Racquetball Championships The Pan American Racquetball Championships are held annually in the spring with play ending on the day before Easter. Originally called the Tournament of the Americas, the Pan American Championships are hosted by the Pan American Racquetball Confede ...

. He also won medals in doubles with Mike Green, Francis Guillemette and

. Gagnon rarely played on the

(IRT), at most a few times a season. His best result was a quarterfinal finish in 2011.

Career record

This table lists Gagnon's results across annual events. Note: W = winner, F = finalist, SF = semi-finalist, QF = quarterfinalist, 16 = Round of 16, 32 = Round of 32. The years refer to the year the event occurred, except for National Team Selection Event #1, which occurs at the end of the previous year. That is, Selection Event #1 and #2 occur in different calendar years, as the racquetball season goes from September to May/June with the first Selection Event happening earlier in the season than the second. Also, an * indicates the first selection event was a doubles event.

Personal life

Gagnon is the son of Michel Gagnon, one of the Racquetball Canada's National Team coaches, and step-son of former National Team player

Josée Grand'Maître Josée Grand'Maître (born July 28, 1961) is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Hull, Quebec (now Gatineau, Quebec). Grand'Maître won the Canadian Women's Singles title three times, and the Canadian Women's Doubles title 15 times. Her la ...

. He has a master's degree in mathematics in 2008 from

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-de ...

. Gagnon was featured in one of CNN's sports photos of the year, as he was photographed jumping in the air to avoid a shot by Jose Rojas of the USA during their doubles match at the

. In 2020, Gagnon was inducted into the Racquetball Canada Hall of Fame.

External links

Canadian Olympic Page for Vincent Gagnon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gagnon, Vincent 1981 births Living people Canadian racquetball players Competitors at the 2009 World Games Pan American Games bronze medalists for Canada Pan American Games medalists in racquetball People from Saint-Constant, Quebec Racquetball players at the 2011 Pan American Games Racquetball players at the 2015 Pan American Games Sportspeople from Quebec World Games bronze medalists Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games French Quebecers