It’s a feat that’s just as mental as it is physical. This was demonstrated recently when Australian hockey player, Matt Dawson, opted to amputate his finger rather than undergo the four-to-six-weeks of recovery that would cost him his chance at the Games.
But what does that kind of determination look like on a day-to-day level? Where does this journey begin? And what drives someone to the top?
Well, if you ask Gabrielle Fitaire, she’ll tell you that what first drove her to professional water polo was that she was simply bad at swimming. This seems unduly deprecating, considering that she later went on to train at an Olympic level for France’s national team.
However, it’s clear that Gabrielle’s high standards mean that ‘bad’ is simply her not exceling.
Growing up in Vancouver Island, a community off the coast of mainland Canada, she was forced from an early age to contend with the parts of herself that didn’t fit in.
“I'm tall and I have pretty broad shoulders, so I've always been a lot bigger than the rest of people my age,” she shares.
Fortunately, this meant that Gabrielle had the ideal physique for water polo; a sport which requires its players to be able to jump, pass and block balls over a high net, and which female players average heights of above 5’7.
Shortly after entering the sport, her proficiency meant she had a new dream: to play water polo for a national team.
At 19, Gabrielle began to realize this goal. She was accepted to join Bordeaux water polo club, and so left Canada to embark on a new journey in France. Living with her aunt and uncle, in a city she barely knew, Gabrielle overrode culture shock and rigorous training until she landed a contract with France’s number one team: Lille Universite Club.
What does life as an Olympic-level athlete look like?
Living out her dream came with sacrifices. Composed of 10 different nationalities, all, like Gabrielle, driven away from their families to play water polo in France, the team was an intensely competitive family.
“The hardest part was being in the bubble,” Gabrielle says. “We were all breathing, eating, sleeping, water polo.”
On weekdays, players would train every morning and night, both in the pool and the gym, for between six to eight hours. Weekends would involve more practice or playing matches. Between that, the mental training, and studying her bachelor's degree, Gabrielle had no time for a break—not even in summer.
For eight years, her resolve never wavered. She proceeded to rank in the FINA world championship, the European championships, the World League Super Final, and ultimately, the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 2021.
“I knew that I was in France for a reason, and I knew that my goal was to eventually participate in the Olympic Games. My motivation was always just to aim towards that,” she says.
The problem with bubbles, though, is that eventually they burst. For Gabrielle, this came when she was forced to withdraw from training to take a much-needed mental health break—before she could make it to the Olympics.
How does training for the Olympic Games help at b-school?
Gabrielle’s decision to withdraw from training meant a complete recalibration of her life. Until that point she’d been focused on just one goal.
The only alternate path she could see for herself was becoming a businesswoman. Growing up in a multicultural household, with a Chinese mom and a French dad, she’d also been intrigued by the prospect of studying an international master’s degree.
Luckily, to fulfil both aspirations, she was able to land a scholarship to study a Master in International Business at France’s IESEG School of Management.
Balancing classes in accounting, math, finance, and management is a challenge for most b-school students, regardless of their academic background, but for Gabrielle it was a particularly stark readjustment coming from a life of sport.
However, the skills she picked up over years of rigorous training meant she had the necessary toolkit to quickly adapt.
“Thanks to my rigorous work ethic that I got through sports, I’ve been able to juggle everything so far,” she says.
Gabrielle’s background means she is disciplined: on time for everything, including being the first person in her class to consistently hand in assignments.
“Punctuality is a huge thing for me, and accountability. I was always on the pool side whenever I had to be every single day. So, I really learned discipline,” she says.
“I really enjoy waking up every day, coming to school, seeing my friends learning new things, and my professors that are really knowledgeable in our subjects.”
Gabrielle has also enjoyed learning in a diverse classroom. Coming from a background where everyone shared one singular goal, this new environment where everyone desires different outcomes is interesting, she says.
She’s had to learn to work together with people who have different stories: “Making sure everyone feels included and listened to is hard because not everyone is motivated by the same subjects,” she says.
What does life after business school look like?
While thriving in the business school environment now, Gabrielle admits that withdrawing from water polo took its toll mentally and is something she’s not fully come to terms with.
“I’d be in marketing class watching Olympics commercials and I'd have tears in my eyes,” she admits. “It was a really hard pill to swallow.”
But despite the misfortune, circumstances have opened up new opportunities for her. One of the biggest lessons that taking a break from competing has taught Gabrielle is that life isn’t a race.
“There are people in my class that are freshly out of their undergraduates. I've never taken a gap year. They're 21, and I'm somewhere on the older end at 26. I sometimes compare myself, but then I remind myself that we've all been through different chapters, we're all here at the end of the day.”
One of the best parts about her time at business school has been the opportunity to develop the parts of her life which aren’t goal-oriented, like friendships, which she’d neglected during her training.
“I never had friends outside my water polo team. So now being able to decide who I can chitchat with and who I want to eat lunch with is really fun,” she says.
Leaving behind her rigorous training schedule has also provided the breathing space to rediscover her own autonomy, she says.
“I'm just living a day at a time and doing what I want to do, when I want to do it. I think that I will eventually go back to water polo, maybe after my studies.”
For now, though, Gabrielle is not set on her next career step. She says she is drawn to the beauty industry, perhaps working for a company like L’Oreal or Sephora, but the exact role she might choose is still something she’s exploring.
Regardless, she has the Olympic drive to succeed.
