Vincent Boily is a Canadian para ice hockey player and the boyfriend of professional tennis player Leylah Fernandez. His life changed after a serious snowmobile accident on December 26, 2017, left him with partial paralysis and ended his plans to pursue conventional competitive hockey. He later rebuilt his sporting career through para ice hockey, winning a gold medal at the 2024 World Para Ice Hockey Championships and a silver medal with Canada at the 2026 Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games.
Fernandez publicly discussed their relationship in 2026, describing Boily as a supportive, funny person who helps her maintain perspective on tennis. Their story has attracted attention because both are high-level athletes whose careers demand resilience and dedication. Sources: Hockey Canada, TVA Nouvelles and The Canadian Press.
Leylah Fernandez Boyfriend Vincent Boily — Hockey Career, Accident and Achievements
Introduction
Vincent Boily, the boyfriend of Canadian tennis star Leylah Fernandez, has built an impressive sporting career after a serious accident changed his life as a teenager. A former conventional hockey prospect from Quebec, Boily became a para ice hockey player and represented Canada at the 2026 Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games, where the national team won silver.
Born on June 2, 2000, and originally from Alma, Quebec, Boily was pursuing competitive hockey when a snowmobile accident on December 26, 2017, left him with a spinal cord injury and partial paralysis. Doctors reportedly warned that he might never walk again. After rehabilitation and a difficult adjustment, he discovered para ice hockey and eventually became a world champion.
His relationship with Fernandez brought additional public attention to his story in 2026. Fernandez, a US Open finalist in 2021 and a prominent player on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour, spoke about their connection in an interview with The Canadian Press published in July 2026. She described Boily as kind and funny and said he helped her maintain perspective during a difficult period in her tennis career.
Their story combines elite sport, recovery after a life-changing injury and a relationship between two athletes who understand the pressures of high-level competition. Boily’s achievements, however, stand independently of his relationship: his international medals and personal accomplishments have established his own identity in Canadian sport.
Who Is Vincent Boily?
Vincent Boily is a Canadian para ice hockey forward who competes internationally for Canada. The Canadian Paralympic Committee identifies his hometown as Alma, Quebec, and lists his experience at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.
Boily began his sporting journey in conventional ice hockey. Before his accident, he played AAA Midget hockey with the St-Eustache Vikings and had signed with the Océanic de Rimouski of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, then known as the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
His plans changed dramatically after the 2017 accident. Instead of abandoning competitive sport, he gradually found a new route back to hockey through a discipline adapted for athletes with qualifying physical impairments.
Vincent Boily: Key facts
- Full name: Vincent Boily
- Date of birth: June 2, 2000
- Hometown: Alma, Quebec, Canada
- Sport: Para ice hockey, also known as para hockey or ice sledge hockey
- Position: Forward
- National team: Canada
- Major achievement: Silver medal at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games
- World championship record: Gold in 2024 and silver in 2023 and 2025
- Partner: Canadian tennis player Leylah Fernandez
What Happened in Vincent Boily’s Accident?
Vincent Boily’s life changed on December 26, 2017, when he was involved in a snowmobile accident in Quebec’s Lac-Saint-Jean region. He was 17 years old and preparing to continue his development as a conventional hockey player.
The accident caused a serious spinal cord injury and left him partially paralyzed. His recovery involved extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation, while the uncertainty surrounding his mobility forced him to reconsider the future he had imagined in sport.
In an account published in June 2018, the Canadian Paralympic Committee reported that doctors had told Boily he might never walk again. At that point, he was beginning to explore new athletic possibilities through the committee’s Paralympian Search initiative.
The experience marked a turning point. Boily had spent years working toward a career in conventional hockey, and the injury threatened to remove the sport from his life entirely. Finding a new athletic goal required both physical adaptation and a change in how he imagined his future.
How long did his recovery take?
Recovery was not immediate. Reporting by TVA Nouvelles in 2024 described Boily as having spent approximately five months paralyzed and undergoing around two years of rehabilitation to regain the ability to walk.
His recovery did not mean that the effects of the injury disappeared. The Canadian Paralympic Committee identifies him as having partial paralysis, while Hockey Canada’s player information describes his disability as incomplete paraplegia.
These descriptions matter because they distinguish recovery from a complete return to his pre-accident physical condition. Boily rebuilt his athletic career while living with the lasting effects of the injury.
Did the accident end his conventional hockey career?
It ended the path he had been pursuing in conventional hockey, but it did not end his connection to the sport.
Boily had hoped to progress through junior hockey and potentially pursue professional opportunities. After the accident, he had to accept that his original plans were no longer realistic in the same way.
Para ice hockey eventually offered him a new competitive environment. The sport uses specialized sleds and two sticks, allowing eligible athletes with lower-body impairments to compete at a high level.
For Boily, the transition was more than a change of equipment. It meant rebuilding his confidence, developing new techniques and learning how to pursue sporting ambitions under different physical circumstances.
How Vincent Boily Returned to Hockey Through Para Ice Hockey
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After the accident, Boily explored several adaptive sports. The Canadian Paralympic Committee records that he initially tried para rowing and later para cycling before finding his place in para ice hockey.
His early exposure to adaptive sport came through the Paralympian Search initiative in 2018. The program helped identify athletes with potential for high-performance para sport and gave Boily an opportunity to consider a different athletic future.
The transition took time. In an interview published by the Canadian Paralympic Committee in October 2025, Boily explained that he was not initially ready, mentally, to make the commitment required for high-performance sport. His journey involved more than learning the physical demands of a new discipline; he also had to come to terms with the loss of his original hockey ambitions.
Eventually, para ice hockey gave him a way to return to a sport he already understood and loved.
His background in conventional hockey provided a foundation in puck control, tactical awareness and teamwork. But competing in a sled brought a different set of technical demands, requiring athletes to coordinate propulsion and puck handling with specialized equipment.
Boily progressed through the sport’s development system and earned a place on Canada’s national para ice hockey team for the 2022–23 season.
What is para ice hockey?
Para ice hockey is an adaptive form of ice hockey played by eligible athletes with physical impairments affecting their ability to participate in conventional standing hockey.
Players sit in purpose-built sleds fitted with blades. They use two sticks: one end of each stick helps propel the sled, while the other is used to handle and shoot the puck.
The sport is fast, physical and tactically demanding. Players need strength, balance, coordination, endurance and the ability to make quick decisions.
For Boily, it provided a route back to competitive hockey after his accident. His later achievements show how adaptive sport can offer athletes an opportunity to continue pursuing ambitious sporting goals after a major change in physical circumstances.
Vincent Boily’s Hockey Career and Major Achievements
hockeycanada.ca
Boily’s career developed from a return to sport into an impressive record of international competition. He became part of Canada’s national para ice hockey program during the 2022–23 season and went on to compete at multiple world championships before making his Paralympic debut in 2026.
His accomplishments include medals at the World Para Ice Hockey Championships and the Paralympic Winter Games. He has also taken on personal challenges outside hockey, including climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
1. World championship silver medal in 2023
Boily helped Canada win silver at the 2023 World Para Ice Hockey Championships. The result marked an important achievement in his developing international career.
For an athlete who had only begun exploring para sport several years earlier, competing at this level demonstrated how far he had progressed since his accident.
2. World championship gold medal in 2024
hockey.qc.ca
In May 2024, Boily and his Canadian teammates won gold at the World Para Ice Hockey Championships in Calgary.
The title was a major milestone for the team and for Boily personally. It demonstrated that he had developed into an international-level player capable of contributing to a championship-winning squad.
3. Silver at the 2025 World Championships
Canada won another silver medal at the 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Championships, adding to Boily’s international record.
The result established a consistent pattern of success. Across three consecutive world championships, he had helped Canada earn silver in 2023, gold in 2024 and silver again in 2025.
4. Silver medal at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games
Boily’s biggest career milestone to date came at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Italy.
He was named to Canada’s 17-player para ice hockey roster in January 2026 by Hockey Canada and the Canadian Paralympic Committee. The team advanced to the gold-medal game against the United States.
Canada lost the final 6–2 and received the silver medal. Although the team fell short of the gold medal, reaching the Paralympic final represented a significant achievement for the players.
Boily also contributed during the tournament’s preliminary round. Hockey Canada’s official competition coverage recorded him among the Canadian scorers in the team’s 8–0 victory over Slovakia.
His Paralympic medal added another achievement to a career that had developed from his return to sport after a life-changing injury.
Vincent Boily’s international medal record
| Competition | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|
| World Para Ice Hockey Championships | 2023 | Silver |
| World Para Ice Hockey Championships | 2024 | Gold |
| World Para Ice Hockey Championships | 2025 | Silver |
| Paralympic Winter Games | 2026 | Silver |
Vincent Boily Climbed Mount Kilimanjaro After His Accident
journaldemontreal.com
Boily’s accomplishments extend beyond hockey. In July 2024, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, reaching the summit of the 5,895-metre mountain on July 28.
According to the Canadian Paralympic Committee, the climb covered approximately 90 kilometres over seven days. Boily used arm crutches and joined a group of 10 other climbers, four of whom did not reach the summit.
The expedition was intended to raise funds and awareness for the Fondation moelle épinière et motricité Québec, an organization supporting people affected by spinal cord injuries and mobility challenges.
The climb was a significant physical undertaking, particularly for someone living with partial paralysis. It required sustained effort at high altitude, where fatigue, reduced oxygen availability and changing terrain can make progress difficult even for experienced climbers.
The achievement also connected Boily’s personal experience with a wider cause. His injury had changed his mobility and sporting ambitions, and the fundraising effort offered an opportunity to support others facing spinal cord injuries.
Who Is Leylah Fernandez?
wtatennis.com
Leylah Fernandez is a Canadian professional tennis player known for her aggressive left-handed game and competitive performances on the international tennis circuit.
She reached the women’s singles final at the 2021 US Open, where she defeated several highly ranked opponents before finishing runner-up. That run established her as one of the sport’s prominent young players.
Fernandez has continued competing on the WTA Tour, with a career that includes WTA singles titles and appearances at major tournaments. She reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 13 in August 2022.
Her career requires frequent travel, training and competition, often leaving limited time away from the court. That demanding schedule is relevant to her relationship with Boily, who also competes internationally and understands the pressures of elite sport.
Fernandez has also spoken about the importance of her family and support network. Her father, Jorge Fernandez, has played a major role in her tennis development, while her sisters remain important parts of her personal life.
How Did Leylah Fernandez and Vincent Boily Meet?
Fernandez and Boily’s relationship began in 2025, according to Fernandez’s account in an interview published by The Canadian Press in July 2026.
Fernandez explained that Boily watched her lose in the first round of the National Bank Open in Montreal after he had seen her compete in Washington, D.C. A few days later, he contacted her and asked whether she would like to meet for coffee before she left the city.
Their first meeting developed into an ongoing connection. Fernandez said that they stayed in contact from that breakfast onward.
The story is notable because it began around a difficult moment in her professional career rather than a tournament victory or a glamorous public appearance.
Fernandez described Boily as a sweet and funny person who helps her put tennis results into perspective. The comments suggest that his own experiences as an athlete have helped him understand the emotional demands of competition.
When did their relationship become public?
Fernandez began sharing more visible hints of the relationship on social media in 2026. Boily appeared in the background of one of her videos, and later posts from a trip to Rome offered a clearer glimpse of the couple together.
In May 2026, sports outlets reported on photographs from their time in Rome, where they visited landmarks and enjoyed meals together. These posts attracted attention because Fernandez had previously kept her romantic life relatively private.
Their public relationship became clearer through these shared moments rather than a formal announcement of an engagement or marriage.
It is important to distinguish this from claims that the couple are married. As of October 15, 2026, the reliable reporting reviewed for this article identifies Boily as Fernandez’s boyfriend, not her husband. No verified engagement or wedding announcement was identified in the sources consulted.
How Vincent Boily Supports Leylah Fernandez’s Tennis Career
Fernandez’s relationship with Boily has drawn interest partly because she has discussed the emotional demands of professional tennis.
Elite tennis can involve long stretches away from home, repeated travel between tournaments and intense scrutiny of results. A poor performance may receive as much public attention as a major victory, making it difficult for players to separate their identity from their latest result.
In the July 2026 Canadian Press interview, Fernandez described Boily as someone who helps her keep perspective. She said he makes her laugh and noted that his own experience had helped her view difficult moments differently.
His journey provides context for that support. Boily had to reconsider his future after his accident, undergo rehabilitation and build a new sporting career. Fernandez’s comments indicate that she values his perspective, although it would be inappropriate to claim that he is responsible for her results or that the relationship has changed her career in a measurable way.
The most grounded conclusion is that the two athletes understand some of the challenges of competitive sport from different perspectives. Their relationship offers each an opportunity to connect with someone who appreciates the demands of training, competition and recovery from setbacks.
What Officials and Organizations Have Said About Vincent Boily
The strongest information about Boily’s sporting career comes from official sports organizations and interviews with the athlete.
Canadian Paralympic Committee
The committee’s athlete profile documents his international medal record, his participation in the 2026 Paralympics and his transition into para sport after the snowmobile accident.
Its October 2025 feature, Vincent Boily reaches new heights on and off the ice, also discussed the mental adjustment required to pursue high-performance sport after his injury.
Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada announced the roster for the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games on January 20, 2026, naming Boily among the forwards selected to represent Canada.
Its player records also list his participation in world championships, international para hockey events and the Paralympic tournament.
Leylah Fernandez’s interview
The Canadian Press report published in July 2026 provides the clearest direct account of the couple’s relationship. Fernandez discussed their first meeting, their ongoing contact and the way Boily helps her keep perspective during a challenging period on the tennis court.
The interview is particularly valuable because it attributes the relationship details directly to Fernandez rather than relying entirely on speculation from social media.
Why Vincent Boily’s Story Matters
Boily’s journey offers a broader example of how athletes can rebuild their lives and careers after a serious injury.
His accident changed his physical abilities and ended his plans to progress through conventional junior hockey. Yet he found a different competitive path, became a world champion and earned a Paralympic medal.
His story also illustrates why adaptive sport deserves recognition on its own terms. Para ice hockey is a demanding international sport requiring technical skill, speed, teamwork and tactical intelligence. Its athletes are not defined solely by the injuries or disabilities that led them to the sport.
Boily’s achievements demonstrate that a change in circumstances does not necessarily mean the end of sporting ambition. His career has followed a different route from the one he originally planned, but it has still brought him to the highest level of international para hockey.
The Kilimanjaro climb adds another dimension to his public story. It shows that his ambitions extend beyond competition and include raising awareness and funds for people affected by spinal cord injuries.
His relationship with Fernandez has introduced his story to a wider audience, but the medals, rehabilitation and personal achievements remain his own.
What Happens Next for Vincent Boily and Leylah Fernandez?
As of October 15, 2026, Boily’s established achievements include his 2026 Paralympic silver medal and three consecutive world championship medals from 2023 through 2025. Hockey Canada maintains information about its national para hockey program and future team activities.
Fernandez continues her professional tennis career, with future results and tournament participation dependent on the WTA schedule and her sporting plans.
The couple’s relationship has been discussed publicly through Fernandez’s interviews and social media posts. However, there is no confirmed public announcement of an engagement or wedding in the reliable sources reviewed for this article.
Future developments in their relationship should be reported only when confirmed by the couple or a credible source. Similarly, any new sporting achievements should be based on official tournament records rather than predictions.
For now, Boily’s story stands as one of perseverance, adaptation and international sporting success, while his relationship with Fernandez offers a glimpse into the personal support that can matter to athletes competing under pressure.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Who is Leylah Fernandez’s boyfriend?
Leylah Fernandez’s boyfriend is Vincent Boily, a Canadian para ice hockey player who represented Canada at the 2026 Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games. He is also a world championship gold medalist.
2. Who is Vincent Boily?
Vincent Boily is a Canadian para ice hockey forward from Alma, Quebec. He previously played conventional junior hockey before a serious snowmobile accident led him to pursue adaptive sport.
3. What happened to Vincent Boily in his accident?
Boily suffered a serious spinal cord injury in a snowmobile accident on December 26, 2017. The injury left him partially paralyzed and ended his plans to pursue a conventional hockey career.
4. Did Vincent Boily win a Paralympic medal?
Yes. Boily won a silver medal with Canada’s para ice hockey team at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. Canada lost the gold-medal game to the United States.
5. What are Vincent Boily’s biggest hockey achievements?
His major achievements include a gold medal at the 2024 World Para Ice Hockey Championships, silver medals at the 2023 and 2025 world championships, and silver at the 2026 Paralympics.
6. Did Vincent Boily climb Mount Kilimanjaro?
Yes. He reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania on July 28, 2024, after a seven-day climb covering approximately 90 kilometres. The expedition also raised funds and awareness for a Quebec organization supporting people with spinal cord injuries.
7. How did Leylah Fernandez and Vincent Boily meet?
According to Fernandez’s account in a July 2026 interview with The Canadian Press, Boily watched her compete in Montreal in 2025 and contacted her afterward to ask her to meet for coffee. They stayed in contact after that meeting.
8. Are Leylah Fernandez and Vincent Boily married?
No marriage has been confirmed in the reliable sources reviewed for this article as of October 15, 2026. Public reporting identifies Boily as Fernandez’s boyfriend.
9. What does Vincent Boily do for a living?
Boily is an elite para ice hockey athlete who competes for Canada internationally. The available sources also document his educational and personal pursuits, but they do not establish a complete account of his current employment or income.
10. How old is Vincent Boily?
Boily was born on June 2, 2000. He is 26 years old as of October 15, 2026.
