Every time she sits down in front of her TV set to watch the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, Très-Saint-Rédempteur resident Isabelle Mercier can't help but be moved. In 1987, when she was barely 10 years old, she had the unforgettable experience of being one of the 7,000 torchbearers. 

In 1988, from February 13 to 28, the Olympic Winter Games were held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, bringing together 1,423 athletes from 52 countries. As part of this international competition, 7,000 people were chosen to carry the Olympic flame over a distance of 1 km from St. John's, Newfoundland to Calgary, Alberta. Among them was Isabelle Mercier, an Île-Perrot resident and gymnast with the Gymini Gymnastics Club. 

The chance of a lifetime

"At the time, Petro Canada had launched a nationwide competition. When we went to fill up our car, we had the opportunity to fill in a coupon. Thanks to the motivation of my father Christian Mercier, I was able to fill out 425 of them. Then my name came up in the draw. So I was one of 7,000 carriers to live through this unforgettable experience, the full extent of which I couldn't have imagined at the time, at the tender age of 10," she recounts, while the Paris Summer Olympics were still in progress. 

At the time, Isabelle Mercier was the youngest Olympic torchbearer in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region out of the seven chosen by lottery, and also the only girl. It was on December 11, 1987, that the young girl took the Olympic flame from another torchbearer on the edge of Highway 20, in Île-Perrot, before running the race at François-Perrot school, the elementary school she attended. 

"Originally, my school wasn't going to be an Olympic torch stop. But when I won the competition, some of my classmates made fun of me, and their taunts made me change my mind. I didn't want to be a carrier anymore. My father was very sad about this, and he arranged to tell the story to the person who hosted the Olympic torch ceremonies across Quebec: the athlete Sylvie Bernier. She called me at home on a beautiful Saturday morning to tell me not to let myself be intimidated and to encourage me not to let this unique opportunity pass me by. To motivate me, she told me she would be stopping off at my school to hold an official flame ceremony. I was very happy, but also very upset and embarrassed," she shares. 

Especially since, at the time, her selection by lottery earned her an interview with two journalists, including Guy D'Aoust, now a journalist and Olympic Games host in recent years. This opportunity even led her, at the tender age of 10, into a Radio-Canada studio for an interview with the famous Françoise Guénette. "It was all very impressive for a child."

Although not initially planned, the ceremony turned out to be quite large-scale.Club Gymini even held a demonstration of its skills in the school gymnasium after the departure of the Olympic flame. 

"Let's just say it silenced the scoffers (laughs).Otherwise, I missed that part because I had a gymnastics competition right after the ceremony.Then, as if carried away by the adrenalin of the moment, I won my only ever podium at this one by climbing onto the third step of the podium.I was so proud of myself," she confides.

Beautiful memories to share 

It wasn't until she grew up, however, many years later, that Ms Mercier realized the magnitude of that moment.

"Back then, every gymnast who trained at Gymini wanted to be the next Nadia Comăneci (laughs).Thanks to my dad, who made me a memory box, I have lots of items to remember that moment, like newspaper cut-outs. My dad even kept the overalls I wore during my relay.The craziest part of it all is that being a carrier allowed us to have the title of Olympic athlete, even if I never had the talent or ambition of those who took part."

Even so, the Très-Saint-Rédempteur resident can't help but get teary-eyed at the magnitude of the feats accomplished by the Olympic athletes and their determination.