It was with great pleasure that skier Édouard Therriault set off in a big jump (Big Air) at the Beijing Olympics on Monday.
Posted at 6:06
The athlete from Lorraine almost cracked the top-12 to reach the final, but his 168 points ultimately earned him 13and square. However, this was not what was going to spoil his Olympic baptism.
“It was a great day, there was no wind and the sky was beautiful! I’m happy with everything I’ve experienced since the beginning of the week. I am very happy with my first experience at the Olympics,” he said a few moments after his performance.
“I’m so happy when I think of my parents who stayed up late to watch me, like many other people in Quebec. I have a lot of fun skiing and that was obviously the case today (Monday). »
Therriault started the day strong earning 83.50 points on his first jump, earning him 11and rank at the end of the first round. His second jump gave the 18-year-old skier a hard time, as he had some difficulty landing.
On his third and final attempt, Therriault received a score of 84.50, which provisionally placed him in 12and and last row giving access to the final. However, the Quebecer’s hopes were short-lived since the Swede Jasper Tjader came ahead of him by two small points.
“According to me, I was on fire! I skied well even if I was careful, I wanted to keep my big pieces for the final. I was so close, I really didn’t miss that much. I got good grades, I finished 13and and unfortunately there are only twelve skiers who go through to the final, that’s life”, analyzed Therriault.
Birk Ruud of Norway (187.75 points) ranked first in qualifying, ahead of American Alexander Hall (180.25 points) and Sweden’s Oliwer Magnusson (177.25 points). At 11and rank, Ontario’s Evan McEachran (170.25 points) is the only representative of the maple leaf to have qualified for the final.
“Anything is possible for Evan!” I believe in him, he’s excellent and I’m sure I’ll be in the stands cheering him on in the final,” mentioned Therriault about his teammate.
For his part, the Quebecer will be back in action on February 14 during the qualifications in acrobatic descent (slopestyle).
“I haven’t thought about it that much yet. I can’t wait to start training for slopestyle. The course is really beautiful and I am quite confident for this event,” he concluded.