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| Human Interest | |
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Further Personal Information | |
| Higher education | Fashion Design - University of Quebec: Montreal, QC, CAN |
General Interest | |
| Injuries | She was troubled by a hip injury in 2010. (diving.ca, 13 Jul 2011) In May 2005 she was forced to withdraw from a Grand Prix event in Montreal, Canada after she suffered an arm injury during training. (CBC Sports, 07 Jun 2005) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | When her family moved to Canada from Belgium, they lived beside a municipal swimming pool. She and her sister spent a lot of time experimenting with diving there. Between the ages of five and 11, gymnastics was her great passion, but her body shape was not ideal for gymnastics and her coach suggested dancing or diving as alternatives. She tried diving and loved it immediately. |
General Interest | |
| Hero / Idol | Romanian gymnast Nadia Comenechi. (guadalajara.olympic.ca, 21 Oct 2011) |
| Awards and honours | She carried the Canadian flag at the opening ceremony of the 2005 World Championships in Montreal, Canada. (emilieheymans.ca, 07 Sep 2010) She was the Aquatic Federation of Canada's Female Athlete of the Year in 2003 and 2004 [with Blythe Hartley]. (Diving Canada, 22 Jan 2007) Diving Canada named her as its Female Diver of the Year in 2002 and 2003. (Diving Canada, 22 Jan 2007) In 2003, she was named Sports Personality of the Year by La Presse newspaper, and Athlete of the Year at the Montreal and SportsQuébec Galas. (emilieheymans.ca, 07 Sep 2010) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | She began diving at the age of 11. |
Further Personal Information | |
| Languages | English, French |
General Interest | |
| Other information | RETIREMENT She retired from competition in January 2013. (ctvnews.ca, 16 Jan 2013) FROM BELGIUM TO CANADA She was born in Brussels, Belgium in 1981 and the following year her parents decided to emigrate to Canada and settled in a Montreal suburb. (emilieheymans.ca, 07 Sep 2010) |