The two Canadian teams had the podium in their sights on Sunday at the Junior World Freestyle Skiing Championships in Valmalenco, Italy. They both managed to achieve their goal by finishing second and third in the aerials team event to end the season on a high note.
Posted at 12:29 p.m.
Respectively gold and bronze medalists in the individual competitions held the day before, Flavie Aumond and Émile Nadeau continued their momentum on Sunday. This time, the Quebecers were decorated with silver along with Miha Fontaine, thanks to their total collection of 259.36 points.
“We knew very well that the podium was accessible at this event and we are very happy with the results. Our athletes jumped well and we are very proud of the overall performance,” said coach Rémi Bélanger, adding that the first step of the podium would have been accessible had it not been for the bad luck during Fontaine’s visit.
“The wind changed completely when Miha took off and he came in with more speed than expected. His execution in the air was good, but he couldn’t land due to speed. It’s bad luck, but it happens. »
Émile Nadeau finally secured second place for his team with an almost perfect jump on the third and final lap.
Not far behind, the second Canadian line, led by new world junior champion Victor Primeau, finished the final with 250.11 points and the bronze medal on the neck. A more than satisfactory result for the team completed by Pierre-Olivier Côté and Rosalie Gagnon, only 15 years old.
“They did really well today [dimanche] ! They showed that they had their place with the best in the category and they more than lived up to it. They have something to be proud of in this competition,” continued Bélanger about his protégés.
In the end, only Americans Kaila Kuhn, Connor Curran and Quinn Dehlinger were able to do better than the maple leaf teams. They were crowned junior world champions by virtue of their 268.87 points.
“Of course we would have liked to finish with gold and there was a little disappointment, but that’s part of the sport, admitted Bélanger. In the end, we wanted to have our two teams on the podium and we managed to do so, so it’s very positive. »
It will now be time to rest for the members of the Canadian team who took part in these Worlds. They will enjoy a break of a few weeks before resuming, slowly but surely, training for the next season. And according to Rémi Bélanger, motivation and enthusiasm will certainly be there.
“The results we have had in the last few days show once again that the future is promising. Everyone performed well and the team spirit is excellent. These athletes have been challenging each other for almost ten years and they all stand together. Internal competition is healthy and they are constantly pushing each other to be better. This is what makes our program successful,” he concluded.