Olympic gold medallist Bruny Surin to run for city council seat in Laval

Olympic gold-medal sprinter Bruny Surin is entering a different kind of race — this time, for a spot as a city councillor in Laval.

Surin has announced he’ll run in a Nov. 24 byelection in the city north of Montreal, under the banner of the Mouvement Lavallois party led by Laval’s current mayor.

4:27 Olympic medalist Bruny Surin on life as an athlete

In a video in which he appears alongside Mayor Marc Demers, Surin says his interest in promoting healthy lifestyles and his desire for community involvement led to his decision to enter politics.

He’ll run for a seat in the Marc-Aurèle-Fortin district, which was left vacant after the death of the previous councillor.

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READ MORE: Olympic gold medalist Bruny Surin guest hosts Global News Morning in Montreal

Surin, 52, is a four-time Olympian and member of the Canadian team that won a gold medal in the 4×100 metre relay at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Since retiring from track and field in 2002, Surin has worked as a businessman, speaker and head of the Bruny Surin foundation, which promotes healthy living among youth.