'I know my strength': Quebec swimmer sets sights on Paris Olympics after arduous journey

Mary-Sophie Harvey is in her happy place — in a swimsuit, about to jump in the pool at Complex Claude Robillard for another gruelling practice.

"It's kind of weird to say, but I enjoy waking up at 4:30 a.m. now," she said with a laugh. On this day, though, it is an afternoon swim, just a couple of weeks away from one of the biggest meets of her career.

Harvey has been on a heater recently. She won gold at the Pan Am Games in the 200-metre freestyle in October, one of six medals overall, including two other golds in relay events.

Since then, she's been shaving even more time off her races, something that comes as a bit of a surprise — even to herself.

"A lot of people are saying, 'Oh, you're 24 now. You're getting older. You should retire,' but it's kind of funny because this year it's been improving, improving, improving. Every time I've raced the 200-[metre] freestyle, I've dropped time this season. It feels like I'm 14 again," Harvey said. 

The Trois-Rivières athlete is coming into form at the right time. She successfully locked up a spot on Canada's Olympic team on Monday after she finished second in the country in the 100 metre butterfly.

It will be her second Games after swimming on Canada's relay teams in Tokyo.

"I've been around the block and the swimming world, and I know my strength and I think I'm way more calm when it comes to racing. And I know where I stand," Harvey said.

Her coach at CAMO Natation has enjoyed watching her progression and expects big things from her at this week's Olympic trials.

"She's really on that business very, very, very well. She's very professional and she's able to have fun at the same time," said Greg Arkhurst.

A dark period

Having fun is key for Harvey, because it hasn't always been.

Last year, she went public about mental health issues she dealt with earlier in her career, including an eating disorder. Add to that, she had a shoulder injury and wasn't sure if she'd continue in the sport. It all came to head with a suicide attempt in 2019.

Harvey's mother, Stéphanie Matte, says it's been a long road, but she did her best to support her daughter.

"One thing you learn is you don't judge. You need to listen. They need to know that you are there no matter what," she said. 

Matte, who was also a competitive swimmer at Université Laval, says swimming was key in her daughter's path to recovery.

"I can see the love of the sport that she has and I know the feeling when you get in the water and just dive in and I think only a swimmer can understand it, but it's so good and just that she could find that again is why she is where she is now. Just having fun."

Incredibly, just a month after that suicide attempt, Harvey was in Lima, Peru at the Pan Am Games. She was still dealing with her mental health issues, but in the pool, she was back on track, competing in five events and winning four medals.

Hurdles as learning moments

Then, in 2022, there was another obstacle. Harvey says she was drugged at a party after competing in the World Championships in Hungary. Several hours of that evening have been wiped from her memory.

"They told me I was fine and then I wasn't," she told CBC a month after the incident.

"One of my friends found me on the street and apparently I was telling her to not leave me alone and I was really persistent on this. From what I've heard, I passed out and they had to carry me to my hotel room."

Harvey woke up with bruises and a concussion. She says the incident marred the memory of what had been a successful swim meet.

"I remember opening the medal box at home and I didn't feel it belonged to me. I feel my body didn't belong to me. I was just going through the motions," she said in 2022.

Despite a heavier mental load to carry than most athletes, accompanied by the continuous pressure to perform, the hours and hours of training and the sacrifices she's had to make in terms of time with family and friends, Harvey has swum through it all.

It will all be worth it, she says, once she dives into the pool in Paris.

"I'm just having so much fun. It's definitely something I've been enjoying a lot this year and I know I'm not done with the sport yet," she said. 

Coach Arkhurst says Harvey has used the hurdles as learning moments.

"She's way more mature, way more responsible and she's embraced the fact that racing is playing. She knows what she has to do and she's focused on what she has to do to get the result instead of focusing on the result," said Arkhurst.

For Matte, she says "it's like a dream come true" to see her daughter "living her dream."

She's proud of Harvey's accomplishments in the pool but also the person she is outside of the water.

"She's a strong, strong woman," she said. 

Matte says Harvey's struggles brought them even closer together. And she was so confident her daughter will be in Paris that she had already booked her plane tickets to the French capital.

Harvey says she wouldn't have it any other way. "She's been like such a big role, key player [throughout] all of my journey and she's always been there to support me," she said.

"She's been there through everything with me so she should be there for the good part."

If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to get help:

• Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988.

• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling on the website.

• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.

• This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about.