Vincent Gagnon (born September 5, 1981) is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Montreal. Gagnon won five Canadian Championships: four doubles titles and one singles. He also competed for Canada 19 times, winning multiple medals highlighted by gold at the 2007 Pan American Championships in Men's Doubles with François Viens.
Junior Years
Gagnon began playing racquetball at 9, and was introduced to it by his father Michel Gagnon, who was his coach throughout his career – and is one of Racquetball Canada's National Team coaches. Although introduced to the sport early, Gagnon's success as a junior didn't come until his late teens when he won three consecutive Canadian Junior Championships. The first was in Boy's U16 Singles in 1998, and then in Boy's U18 Doubles with Jean-Philippe Morin in 1999, and finally in Boy's U18 Singles in 2000, which was his last year of juniors.
Racquetball career
Career begins (2001–2006)
Gagnon won the National Team Doubles Selection Event in 2001 with Francis Guillemette by defeating Kris Odegard and Ryan Powell in the final. The win qualified them to play on Team Canada for the 2001 Pan American Championships, which was the first appearances on the team for both of them. The 2001 Pan Am Championships were in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, where Gagnon and Guillemette earned bronze medals.
Gagnon and Francis Guillemette finished 5th at the 2002 National Team Doubles Selection Event in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, as they lost to Mike Ceresia and Corey Osborne in the quarterfinals. In the Singles Selection Event that season, Gagnon finished 6th, after losing to Kane Waselenchuk, 15–10, 15–5, in the quarterfinals.
Gagnon and Francis Guillemette finished 4th at the 2003 National Team Doubles Selection Event in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where they lost to Corey Osborne and François Viens in the semi-finals, and then dropped the 3rd place match versus Mike Green and Tom O’Brien. Gagnon was 3rd in the Singles Selection Event that season, as he beat Corey Osborne in the 3rd place match, 11–15, 15–7, 11–7.
Gagnon lost in the quarterfinals of Men's Singles to Corey Osborne, 8–15, 15–12, 11–8, at the 2003 Canadian Championships in Vancouver. In Men's Doubles, Gagnon and Francis Guillemette lost in the semi-finals to Mike Ceresia and Brian Istace, 15–13, 17–15. They finished 3rd as Mike Green and Tom O’Brien defaulted the 3rd place match.
Gagnon's 2nd Team Canada appearance was at the 2003 Pan Am Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where Gagnon was a bronze medalist in Men's Singles, losing to American Jack Huczek, 15–7, 15–7, in the semi-finals.
Gagnon and Francis Guillemette finished 7th at the 2004 National Team Doubles Selection Event in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, as they lost in the quarterfinals to Mike McPhee and Bill Shepley, 13–15, 15–9, 11–6. In the 7th place match, they defeated Eric Desrochers and Tim Landeryou, 15–7, 15–9. In the Singles Selection Event in Brossard, Québec, Gagnon lost to Brian Istace in the semi-finals, but won the 3rd place match against Corey Osborne, 15–4, 10–15, 11–1.
At the 2004 Nationals in Burlington, Ontario, Gagnon and Francis Guillemette were seeded 4th but were upset by Eric Desrochers and Tim Landeryou, 15–14, 15–2, in the quarterfinals.
In the 2004–05 season, Gagnon began playing doubles with François Viens. They finished 3rd at the National Team Doubles Selection Event in Calgary, where they beat Tim Landeryou and Scott Lineker, 15–6, 15–9, in the quarterfinals. Then in the final four playoff, they beat Eric Desrochers and Corey Osborne, but lost to both Mike Green and Brian Valin and to Brian Istace and Kris Odegard. In the Singles Selection Event, Gagnon reached the final for the first time by coming back from a game down to defeat Brian Istace, 5–15, 15–5, 13–11. He faced Mike Green in the final, and Green won in a tie-breaker, 16–14, 6–15, 11–5.
At the 2005 Canadian Championships in Regina, Saskatchewan Gagnon lost in the singles quarterfinals to Kris Odegard, 13–15, 15–3, 11–1. In doubles, Gagnon and François Viens reached the final by beating Odegard and Ryan Powell, 15–8, 15–6, in the semi-finals. But they lost the final against Mike Green and Brian Istace, 15–6, 15–5.
At the 2006 National Team Doubles Selection Event in Calgary, Gagnon and François Viens finished 3rd behind Mike Green and Brian Istace in 1st and Francis Guillemette and Kris Odegard in 2nd. Burnaby, British Columbia was the site of the Singles Selection Event, and Gagnon finished 2nd behind Green, who beat him 15–9, 15–7, in the final four round.
Gagnon was upset in the Men's Singles Round of 16 at the 2006 Canadian Championships in Edmonton, where he lost to Tim Landeryou, 13–15, 15–6, 11–9. He and François Viens were runners up in Men's Doubles, as they beat Francis Guillemette and Kris Odegard in the semi-finals, 18–16, 11–15, 11–8, but lost in the final to Mike Green and Brian Istace, 15–7, 15–10.
International gold & 1st Selection Event win (2007–2012)
At the 2007 National Team Doubles Selection Event in Victoria, British Columbia, Gagnon and François Viens finished 2nd after losing to Mike Green and Brian Istace, 15–10, 15–10. But in Brossard, Québec Gagnon won the Singles Selection Event for the first time in 2007, when he defeated Green, Kris Odegard and Viens in the final four playoff round.
Gagnon captured gold in Men's Doubles with François Viens at the 2007 Pan American Championships in Santiago, Chile, where he and Viens defeated Americans Andy Hawthorne and Jason Samora in the final, 15–6, 11–15, 11–9.
At the 2007 Canadian Championships, Gagnon lost in the semi-finals of singles to Kris Odegard, but won the 3rd place match against Ryan Smith. He got to the semis by defeating Tim Landeryou in the quarterfinals. He played doubles with François Viens and they were runners up to Mike Green and Brian Istace.
In the 2007–08 National Team Selection Events, Gagnon and François Viens came 2nd in the Doubles Selection Event, behind only Green and Brian Istace, who beat them 15–11, 15–12. At the Singles Selection Event, Gagnon made the final four playoff by defeating James Landeryou, 15–8, 15–11, in the quarterfinals. However, he suffered an injury in the playoff round, so finished 4th.
Gagnon and François Viens won Men's Doubles at the 2008 Canadian Championships defeating beating Green and Brian Istace in the final, 15–13, 6–15, 11–6. They beat Francis Guillemette and Kris Odegard in the semi-finals, 15–10, 3–11, 11–3, to reach the final. Gagnon was also in the finals of Men's Singles, as he defeated Odegard in the semis, 15–11, 7–15, 11–6. But he lost the final to Green, 15–8, 15–11.
Despite the being National Champions in doubles, Gagnon played singles at the 2008 World Championships in Kingscourt, Ireland, where he was a bronze medalist in Men's Singles by beating Mexican Polo Gutierrez, 15–5, 11–15, 11–8, in the quarterfinals, but losing to Jack Huczek of the US, 15–11, 15–8, in the semi-finals. He also earned bronze in the Men's Team event, as Canada defeated Costa Rica in the quarterfinals, 2–1, lost to Mexico in the semi-finals, 2–1, but beat Bolivia, 2–1, for the bronze medal.
In the National Team Doubles Selection Event in Windsor, Ontario, Gagnon and François Viens finished 2nd behind Green and Brian Istace, who defeated them 15–11, 15–12, in the final four playoff. Gagnon finished 4th at the National Team Singles Selection Event in Brossard, Québec in February 2009. He beat Francis Guillemette, 15–3, 15–9, to qualify for the final four playoff round, but didn't win a match in the playoff.
At the 2009 Pan American Championships in Cali, Colombia, Gagnon played Men's Singles, and he lost in the quarterfinals to the USA's Andy Hawthorne, 11–15, 15–8, 11–2.
Edmonton hosted the 2009 Canadian Championships, and there Gagnon and François Viens won Men's Doubles by defeating Green and Eric Desrochers in the final, and beating James Landeryou and Tim Landeryou in the semi-finals, 15–11, 15–5. In Men's Singles, Gagnon finished 3rd, as he lost to Green in the semi-finals, 15–1, 15–12, but got a win over Francis Guillemette due to an injury default.
Gagnon won bronze at the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where he defeated Mexican Álvaro Beltrán, in the bronze medal match, 15–11, 12–15, 11–7. In that tournament, Gagnon defeated Daniel Maggi of Argentina in the Round of 16, then Fernando Rios of Ecuador in the quarterfinals, but lost to Jack Huczek of the US in the semi-finals, 3–15, 15–8, 11–7, which put him in the bronze medal match.
Gagnon was on Team Canada for the 2010 Pan American Championships in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. He beat Andres Herrera of Colombia in the Round of 16, 15–4, 15–5, but lost to eventual champion Ricardo Monroy of Bolivia, 15–10, 15–7, in the quarterfinals. This was Odegard's 3rd consecutive bronze medal at the Pan Am Championships.
Gagnon was the #1 men's player in Canada from June 22, 2010 to February 23, 2011, although he hadn't won a national championship in singles. But Gagnon did win the 2010 National Team Selection Event.
Gagnon was on Team Canada for the 2010 World Championships in Seoul, South Korea, where he earned two medals: a bronze medal in Men's Singles and silver in the Men's Team event. Gagnon defeated Colombian Francisco Gomez in the quarterfinals, but lost to the USA's Jack Huczek in the semi-finals, 15–12, 15–12. In the Men's Team event, Canada beat Ecuador in the quarterfinals, Costa Rica in the semi-finals, before losing to the US in final.
Gagnon played at the US Open Racquetball Championships several times, although he didn't have much success in the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) division. However, Gagnon was in three consecutive Men's Open finals at the US Open, winning back to back titles in 2009 and 2010 after losing in 2008. His successful title defence in 2010 came at the expense of two Canadians: in the semi-finals Gagnon defeated Kris Odegard, 4–15, 15–9, 11–7, and in the final beat Tim Landeryou, 15–6, 15–13.
Although Gagnon didn't play the first National Team Selection Event of 2009–10, he won the second event, sweeping the final four playoff round with wins over Mike Green, Tim Landeryou and Kris Odegard.
At the 2010 Canadian Championships in Burnaby, British Columbia, Gagnon finished 3rd, as he lost in the semi-finals to Mike Green, 15–9, 15–12, but then won the 3rd place match against Kris Odegard, 15–10, 15–1. In doubles, he and François Viens were in the finals, but lost to Green and Odegard, 14–16, 15–10, 11–7. They reached the final with a win over Francis Guillemette and Corey Osborne, 6–15, 15–13, 11–3.
Gagnon won the first National Team Selection Event of 2010–11 in Edmonton by defeating Tim Landeryou in the semi-finals, 8–15, 15–13, 11–3, and his former doubles partner Francis Guillemette in the final, 15–8, 15–3. Gagnon was also in the final of the second selection that season in Brossard, Québec, but that time he lost to Mike Green, 10–15, 15–7, 11–4.
Gagnon competed in the 2011 Pan American Championships in Mangua, Nicaragua, where he reached the semi-finals with a win over then defending champion Ricardo Monroy of Bolivia, 5–15, 15–14, 11–5. But Gagnon lost in the semis to Mexican Daniel De La Rosa, 15–13, 15–4, so he was a bronze medalist.
At the 2011 Canadian Championships in Nova Scotia, Gagnon was a finalist in Men's Singles, losing to Mike Green, 15–4, 15–6, in the final. He got to the final with a win over Kris Odegard in the semi-finals, 17–15, 15–1. In doubles, Gagnon and François Viens lost to Francis Guillemette and Corey Osborne in the semi-finals, 15–11, 10–15, 12–10, but won the 3rd place match versus James Landeryou and Tim Landeryou, 15–5, 15–3.