GIRARD Christine < Back  
Sport Weightlifting
CGA Canada   
Gender Women
Born 03 Jan 1985 in Elliot Lake, CAN
Height1.60 m
Weight 63 kg
Human Interest
Further Personal Information
Residence White Rock, BC, CAN
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team Semi Weightlifting Club: Surrey, PEI, CAN
Further Personal Information
Higher education Education - University of Quebec: Quebec, QC, CAN
General Interest
Hobbies Reading. (olympic.ca, 03 Oct 2012)
Injuries In 2006, she suffered a right shoulder injury which saw her sidelined for several months. (Athlete, 06 Sep 2010)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport? She followed her older sister Caroline into the sport. "My parents didn't really want us to do weightlifting. They wanted us to do a team sport because they wanted us to make friends. It was really my sister who wanted to do weightlifting and my father tried for months to change her mind. He was like: 'Do you want to do judo? Do you want to do volleyball?' He tried a lot but it didn't work. By the end he just gave up."
General Interest
Most influential person in career Her parents. (Athlete, 06 Sep 2010; sportsnet.ca, 26 May 2011)
Hero / Idol Her grandmother. (Athlete, 06 Sep 2010)
Sport Specific Information
Name of coach Guy Marineau, CAN; Walter Bailey [husband], CAN; Jeane Lassen [personal], CAN
Coach from what year? 2011
When and where did you begin this sport? She began weightlifting at the age of 10 in Rouyn-Noranda, Canada.
International Debut
Year 2001
Competing for Canada
Location Greece
Further Personal Information
Occupation Athlete, Coach
Languages French, English
General Interest
Nicknames Boutchou [derived from French for 'Cabbage Patch Kid' which were popular toys when she was born]. (Athlete, 16 Apr 2008)
Sporting philosophy / motto "We can always do better as long as we believe in our dreams and work to make them come true." (Athlete, 06 Sep 2010)
Sport Specific Information
Coach from which country? Canada
Further Personal Information
Family Husband Walter Bailey, son Philippe (born 2014) and daughter Alianna (2016)
General Interest
Awards and honours She became the first Canadian women to win an Olympic medal when she took bronze at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (alchetron.com
Sport Specific Information
Footedness Right
General Interest
Other information FAMILY AFFAIR
Her father was the president of the Heracles Weightlifting Club, her mother Aline and her older sister Sylvie were provincial officials in the sport, and her sister Valerie started competing in weightlifting in 1997. (olympic.ca, 03 Oct 2012)