JOHANNE GERVAIS

CLASS OF 2024 - ATHLETE INDUCTEE

Johanne Gervais began her water polo career at the age of eleven and quickly developed into the dominant player of her generation. She led the Sainte-Foy water polo club to eight Canadian senior and three Canadian junior titles, capturing numerous Most Valuable Player awards along the way. She competed for Canada at three World Championships, in 1978 (Berlin), 1982 (Guayaquil) and 1986 (Madrid). In 1981, she played a pivotal role with the Canadian women’s team which captured a historic senior world water polo title in Brisbane, Australia. Beyond any doubt, she was the most outstanding athlete in women’s water polo for almost 10 years in Canada between 1976 and 1986. She has always demonstrated considerable discipline, perseverance, dedication and humility, and her hard work has allowed her to rank among the best water polo players in the world. The sense of discipline she imposed on herself throughout her career led many other athletes to want to follow in her footsteps.