Jade Essabar of ÉTS: Patience as a driver of success

For Jade Essabar, success didn’t happen overnight.

Landed in Montreal in 2022 as part of a student exchange, the French student had to adapt to a new country, a new university system and a new way of approaching sports. Four years later, she says that it’s precisely these challenges she’s had to face along the way that have enabled her to have her best season on the university circuit. 

“I learned that you have to be patient, and that time eventually pays off,” says the student-athlete from the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS).

Essabar has been competing in track and field for about five years. Many members of her family were already runners, which naturally drew her to the sport.  

What’s made her stay in the sport all these years is her appreciation of the work it requires. 

“I like pushing myself every day,” she explains. “To achieve good results, it must hurt. When you succeed, the effort feels even more rewarding, and winning is incredible because you’ve come a long way to get there.”

Driven by a strong competitive spirit since childhood, Essabar knew that she wanted to pursue her sporting career in university. 

However, her journey brought her much further than she ever imagined. 

Originally from France, she came to Quebec to study construction engineering at ÉTS. Upon her arrival, she looked to join a university track and field team, but soon discovered that there weren’t any at the time. 

She then joined the Saint-Laurent Sélect amateur club so she could continue to train while representing the Piranhas as an individual. Over the course of her first year, she met other students who shared her passion and helped create ÉTS’s first track and field team, which could officially compete in university competitions.  

“It was a great success,” she said. 

Beyond competing, Essabar discovered a reality quite different from the one she knew in France. 

In her country, students mainly practiced their sport with amateur clubs and had to balance their training and studies on their own. In Canada, she discovered student-athlete status and all the support that came with it. 

“Everything is so much easier to manage because we all have a team around us and an organized structure to help us succeed,” she explains. 

At ÉTS, Essabar appreciates the closeness that exists between the members of all of the different teams. 

“We act a little bit like a family,” she says. 

While this closeness is a strength, competing for a small university also comes with certain challenges. 

For many years, the team had very few athletes and didn’t have all the resources available in other establishments. For Essabar, this meant, among other things, having to attempt to qualify for the U SPORTS Championships as an individual, since she was unable to compete in the relays.  

“It’s kind of a challenge, to give it my all to reach the same level as everyone else, despite being from a small university with slightly fewer resources,” she explains. 

This season, she also decided to make a big career change.

The former 400 m specialist switched to middle-distance running after realizing her potential over longer distances. She now competes in the 800 m race during the outdoor season, as well as the 600 m and 1,000 m races indoors. 

It was a risk that paid off. 

“I think it was a very good decision because I had my best year in terms of university results,” she says. 

According to her, this improvement cannot be explained solely by training. 

Over the last year, Essabar has worked with a mental coach to help improve how she manages stress, concentration and disappointment. She also started to focus more on her diet, recovery and strength training.

“I think that could be what made the difference this year,” she said. 

At the same time, she is pursuing a demanding degree program in construction engineering. Between classes, practice sessions, weight training, and a part-time job, her days are very busy. 

Despite the sacrifices, Essabar believes that being a student-athlete is a real asset. 

“It allows us to develop qualities and skills that help set us apart from other students,” she explains. “Discipline, organization and teamwork are all things that you develop greatly through university sports.” 

Today, she prefers not to set any specific goals for the remainder of her career. Her main ambition is to continue to improve and compete in track and field if she still enjoys it.

To those considering a similar path, especially international students, her message is simple.

“You have nothing to lose and everything to gain,” she said. “Don’t hesitate, just go for it.”