She wasn't prepared for it. She hadn't planned it. But Gabrielle Ariano-Lortie, a 33-year-old Quebecer, made history through the front door, Saturday, February 10, on the second day of the PyeongChang 2018 Games. She refereed the first meeting of the unified Korean women's team in the Olympic ice hockey tournament, against Switzerland. One of the most anticipated moments of the fortnight.
The match promised to be historic. He was. In the stands, IOC President Thomas Bach; South Korean head of state Moon Jae-in; the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Yo-jong. A media box full as an egg. Televisions around the world focused on a meeting destined to remain engraved in the legend of the Olympic movement.
At center ice, Gabrielle Ariano-Lortie, referee by passion, nurse by profession. “ Before the game, the pressure was very high, she told Radio-Canada. When we arrived, thousands of people were chanting and waving Korean flags. The police were everywhere. I was on the ice and I couldn't believe it. For me, refereeing at the Olympic Games was already a dream, but I was also experiencing a historic moment. I couldn't have asked for better. It went way beyond hockey."
Gabrielle Ariano-Lortie traces her passion for refereeing to her teenage years. “ I must have been 17 years old. At the time, I was playing hockey. A friend of my brother went to do a refereeing course and I started asking questions. I was immediately hooked“. Eight years later, she officiated at her first world championships, in Iceland.
The virus has never left her, but leading her career as a referee and her professional life in parallel has never been easy. Gabrielle Ariano-Lortie is an intensive care nurse at the Montreal Heart Institute. “ I sometimes work 12 hour days, says she. A rhythm that allows me to have several days off to train a little more. »
Not selected for the Sochi Games in 2014, she swallowed her disappointment and strengthened her preparation. Last November, the Quebecer learned that she had been chosen to join the refereeing body for the PyeongChang Games. The ultimate reward after years of effort and sacrifice. “ I'm at the Olympic Games, on the ice, at the same time as the best players on the planet. What more can I ask for? »
