Posted at 7:00 a.m.
On December 11, Valérie Grenier went over her skis during training in Livigno, Italy. Her knees hyperextended and she fell in the snow screaming in pain.
“As soon as I fell, I really freaked out,” she said earlier this week. I expected the worst and I just couldn’t believe it happened. I was frustrated and in denial. »
The Beijing Olympics giant slalom was less than two months away. Grenier was about to play the heart of the World Cup season.
Barely raised, a race against time began for the 25-year-old skier. She and her physiotherapist drove three hours to reach a clinic that was about to close. The magnetic resonance imaging technician was not very optimistic. “Not good “, he noted in his rudimentary English.
The duo received a CD. Still had to be able to read it. The Canadian duo drove for an hour and a half in the Dolomites before receiving a call from an Italian team doctor. He was in the same city where the skier had just taken the exam… The two therefore turned back to meet him.
At first glance, the injury looked like tibial plateau fractures. His prognosis: eight weeks before a return. But he still recommended the athlete get a CT scan for a more accurate assessment.
Before going to a clinic in St. Moritz the next day, Grenier “prayed” that his injury would be limited to bruises. After hours of waiting that Sunday, she had access to a Swiss orthopedist. His diagnosis fell like a hammer blow: fractures.
I was crying. I was just devastated. I couldn’t believe it. It was the worst 48 hours of my life.
Valerie Grenier
Fortunately, the Canadian team’s orthopedic surgeon was more optimistic after a remote examination.
“I realized that maybe it was less serious than I thought, that I was going to be able to come back sooner. Of course it was really difficult because I missed the two races in Courchevel and certainly the one in Lienz. It was the worst time to hurt myself, although there is never a good one. I accepted it right away and did all the work to get back. »
A regular
Against her will, the representative of the Mont-Tremblant club is used to rehabilitation. She underwent two operations to treat chronic ankle pain that has bothered her for years. She went under the knife twice more after a quadruple leg fracture suffered in a fall in training at the 2019 World Championships.
This time, time was running out. Despite her injuries, she was able to continue indoor training and stationary cycling. Sessions in the pool allowed him to perform the more dynamic movements that required his knees.
Grenier was able to count on the presence of her lover, who had come to visit her in Europe with the hope of seeing her run for the first time. In Killington, in November, the race had been canceled because of the wind… So it will be for next time.
At Christmas, two weeks after her fall, the Franco-Ontarian went on skis for the first time. To everyone’s surprise, she was in the starting gate for the World Cup in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia on January 8.
“I hadn’t trained much after my little injury, but it seems like I haven’t stopped believing in it. I kept the confidence and stayed positive. Returned to the race, it’s as if everything was normal, that I had forgotten everything. It really helped. I didn’t hold back. »
Eighth after the opening run, she took the lead by half a second on her second lap. Her lead held until the last three starters dislodged her. Fourth, a personal best in giant, she missed her first World Cup podium by seven hundredths.
It pinched on the spot, but afterwards, it was just: wow! I can’t be too disappointed. It shows me that it’s coming, that I’m doing good things. It is extremely encouraging.
Valerie Grenier
On Tuesday, Grenier received an email confirming that she was officially qualified for her second Olympic Games. In 2018, she finished sixth overall, a peak for Canadian alpine skiing in PyeongChang.
“When I thought about the Games over the past few years, that’s exactly how I wanted to feel. As if I was going for the podium. Saying it is one thing, but I wasn’t sure I was there. Seeing that I am at this level is very encouraging! »
One last World Cup
Valérie Grenier will play one last World Cup event before the Olympics on Tuesday at Kronplatz, Italy. “There are no more Olympic qualifications as such, but it allows you to show where you are at before the Games. Last year, I was off the course, but it was going really well before that happened. I know I could do well if I make it all the way down. I can not wait. On Thursday, the Saint-Isidore native won a FIS event at Pozza di Fassa. In front of a weaker plateau than a European Cup, she clearly outstripped the Swiss Vanessa Kasper (+ 1.26 s) and her young compatriot Cassidy Gray (+ 1.47 s). Quebecer Sarah Bennett, 20, finished eighth. Third after one run, Mikaela Tommy, from the Outaouais, did not finish second. The Canadians will line up for another giant at the same venue this Friday. For Grenier, it’s a way to regain his racing feelings after missing three important events in December.
Olympic team
The composition of the Canadian Olympic team will be announced by press release this Friday. Quebecers Marie-Michèle Gagnon, 23and from the training downhill in Cortina on Thursday, and slalomer Laurence St-Germain, 8and of the last slalom in Schladming, will form a quarter of the women’s contingent.