75-year-old Quebec water-skier, a world champion
Mont-Tremblant water-skier Pierre Plouffe is back from the world championships with a shiny first-place trophy in his age category.
He's 75 years old.
For nearly seven decades, Plouffe's pre-ski routine hasn't changed much, save for a necessary tape job.
"I'm 75 years old, but very young at heart," he said.
Plouffe started water-skiing at eight years old and he rose through the sport quickly.
He even placed fifth at the 1972 Munich Olympics when the sport was featured as a demonstration sport.
"A bunch of us were asked to travel around the world to promote the sport," said Plouffe.
Plouffe trains daily with his own course on Lac Tremblant, where he practices the slalom with more than a few tricks involved.
It's a sport that has been very hard on his body.
"If you do a sport like water-skiing, which is extreme, to a certain point, if you want to try to win, if you're going to challenge, the best in the world, you're going to get hurt," he said. "The body doesn't recover as good as it was when I was 20, but I have the same joy."
At the IWWF World Over 35 Waterski Championships in Spain, he came first in the 70-plus category.
"Representing my country is probably the climax of my career," said Plouffe. "Every time I represent my country, every time they sing the national anthem, when you win, it's always a touching moment for me."
His career has taken him around the world, famously being arrested during a bar fight in Moscow during the hockey Summit Series.
Once, he also stole the Stanley Cup for three days with Guy Lafleur, which Lafleur himself corroborated, adding to the water-skier's mystique.
He is also now a member of the Mont Tremblant Sports Hall of Fame.
"When you're inducted into the Hall of Fame, you're supposed to have retired for five years, but they're afraid," he said. "I've never retired, so they put me in the Hall of Fame."
Plouffe has no plans to quit and is already looking forward to the next world championships in Calgary in 2026.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Federal government to further limit number of international students
The federal government will be further limiting the number of international students permitted to enter Canada next year. It’s the government’s latest immigration-related measure to address Canadians' ongoing housing and affordability concerns.
BREAKING Bloc MPs will vote confidence in Liberal government next week: Blanchet
The Conservatives' first shot at toppling the Liberal government is doomed to fail, after Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet told reporters his MPs will vote confidence in the government.
DEVELOPING Exploding electronic devices kill 14, wound 450 in second day of explosions in Lebanon
Lebanon's health ministry said Wednesday that at least 14 people were killed and 450 others wounded by exploding electronic devices in multiple regions of the country. The explosions came a day after an apparent Israeli attack targeting pagers used by Hezbollah killed at least 12 and wounded nearly 3,000. Here are the latest updates.
What to know about the deadly electronic explosions targeting Hezbollah
Just one day after pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded, more electronic devices detonated in Lebanon Wednesday in what appeared to be a second wave of sophisticated, deadly attacks that targeted an extraordinary number of people. Here's what we know so far.
Canada abstains from UN motion calling on Israel to end occupation of Gaza, West Bank
Canada abstained today from a high-profile United Nations vote demanding that Israel end its 'unlawful presence' in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank within a year.
Record-breaking Lotto Max jackpot tickets sold in Ontario, Quebec
Two lucky people in Ontario and Quebec will split Tuesday’s record-breaking $80-million Lotto Max jackpot.
Rogers Communications to buy out Bell's share of MLSE for $4.7 billion
Rogers Communications Inc. is buying out Bell's 37.5 per cent share of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment for $4.7 billion, giving it 75 per cent ownership of the sports conglomerate.
'I'm here for the Porsche': Video shows brazen car theft in Mississauga
Video of a brazen daylight auto theft which shows a suspect running over a victim in a stolen luxury SUV has been released by police west of Toronto.
'Unsightly' under-construction home must be finished or demolished, B.C. court rules
A B.C couple has been ordered to stop living in a motorhome on the property where their under-construction home – which they were first given a permit to build more than six years ago – has become an “eyesore,” according to a recent court decision.