Trampolinist Sophiane Méthot proved Sunday that she will be one to watch at the Paris Olympics. Less than a month before this major event, the Quebecer won the bronze medal at the World Cup in Coimbra, Portugal.
The reigning Canadian champion scored 55.51 in the individual final. China’s Lin Qianqi won with a total of 56.19 points, followed by Anzhela Bladtceva with 55.53 points.
“My routine in the final went well! I made a few changes to my difficulty since I was moving to the side. The goal was to push to have a good flight time and that’s what I did. I had my best flight time of all my routines,” Sophiane Méthot told Sportcom.
Finding herself on the podium on Sunday is certainly enough to motivate the athlete from La Prairie, who will be the only Canadian representative in trampoline at the Paris Olympic Games.
“This medal means a lot just a few days before the Games. It definitely gives me a confidence boost,” admitted Méthot. “However, I’m not taking anything for granted. I’m going to go back to the gym, continue to work hard and refine my routine until the Olympic Games. It’s confirmation that the last few months of training have gone well and that the preparation done by my coach Karina Kosko will allow me to be at my best for the big day.”
I am in my place, exactly where I need to be. My routines reflect my training and I plan to continue this momentum for the next few weeks.
Sophiane Méthot
Also in action in Portugal, Sarah Milette was stopped in the second round of qualifying, ranking 19th.e.
Mélina Corriveau finished 43rde on the occasion of her first World Cup. On Sunday, she reached the final in synchro with Rielle Bonne. The duo finally finished 6the with a score of 45,060. China’s Cao Yunzhu and Zhang Xinxin took gold with 48,990 points. Japan’s Momo Sawada and Saki Tanaka took silver (47,710), while Americans Maia Amano and Leah Garafalo completed the podium (46,480).
In the men’s category, Rémi Aubin obtained the best Canadian result with a 14e place. Jérémy Chartier made his return to competition and finished in 24e echelon.
Alexan Adjemian and Etienne Cloutier finished 41ste and 45erespectively. They teamed up in the synchro final and finished fifth with 49,500 points. With 52,110 points, Frenchmen Julian Chartier and Allan Morante won gold ahead of Americans Ruben Padilla and Aliaksei Shostak (50,960) and Japanese Ryosuke Sakai and Hiroto Unno (50,800).
The Olympic trampoline events will take place on August 2. In the meantime, Sophiane Méthot will train for five days in the United Kingdom starting July 19 to acclimatize to the time difference. She will then head to the Olympic Village in preparation for her first Olympic Games.