Ambition seems to define sabre fencer François Cauchon. One look at the up-and coming athlete, who recently achieved a personal best Grand Prix result with a 52^nd place finish in Tunis in January 2023, and you can quickly recognise in the young and composed twenty-two year-old a mind that is forever calibrating how to maximise his potential. It’s easy to understand his selection for the Petro Canada FACE Program in 2018, his receipt of two FAEQ bursaries for exceptional student-athletes in 2018 and 2019, and the choice of both the CFF and the FEQ to recognise François as their Junior Male Athlete of the Year in 2020 and 2019, respectively.

It was thanks to older brother Charles that François got into fencing when he was twelve. Being a student at Brébeuf in Montréal, fencing was one of four sports to choose from, and led him to pick up his first sabre. Coach Jean-Marie Banos trained his boys well, and early victories gave François a taste for success. He slowly refocused his schedule to maintain his momentum, favouring fencing over other sports he was also playing. This hard-driving attitude coupled with a knack for prioritizing and time management has allowed François to keep his upward trajectory in sport while also excelling both academically and professionally. Juggling twice-a-day training five times a week with a part-time position as a financial analyst after having just completed his Bachelor of Commerce at McGill in 2022 is no small feat, but this kind of pace is what he loves.

Despite all this, François still finds time to step back and enjoy the endless cultural charms of his hometown of Montreal, and reserves moments for his family and friends. Christmas is a particularly cherished time, when siblings Charles, François and Catherine can create memories together with parents Martin and Dorine.

François has set his sights on the Paris 2024 Olympics, and believes that, paraphrasing Winston Churchill, even if he stumbles from failure to failure, so long as his enthusiasm remains high, he can achieve this goal.