(Sportcom) – Freestyle skier Olivia Asselin fell to 0.35 points from reaching her first final of the season on Friday at the Stubai World Cup in Austria.
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The 17-year-old Lévisienne finished qualifying in the acrobatic descent (slopestyle) in ninth place with 71.80 points, just behind Austrian Laura Wallner (72.15).
On her first attempt, she missed her maneuver on the second ramp of the course, but was among the top eight competitors who reached the final stage. Asselin repeated the same mistake on his second run and slipped to the ninth rung, which cost him his ticket to the grand final.
“I’m pretty disappointed, I think I could have done better. I am still happy to have obtained a result which gives me points, even though I did not reach the final, ”she told Sportcom.
Canada’s Megan Oldham will be the country’s only representative in Saturday’s final, placing fourth with 80.82 points. Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland is provisionally in the lead with 89.02 points.
In the men’s category, Édouard Therriault took 50th place in the qualifications. His compatriot Teal Harle, silver medalist in Chur, is tied with American Hunter Henderson for first place. They both scored 92.75 points.
Experience
Asselin is only in her second season on the World Cup circuit and she plans to take advantage of that experience this year. Already, she says she is more in control of her means on competition days.
“I got used to the more difficult courses and I find it easier to adapt. The biggest difference is in my mental preparation and I am more confident during qualifying, ”explained the Quebecer.
At the first World Cup on the calendar two weeks ago, Asselin finished 24th in the Big Air event in Chur, Switzerland.
The Olympic year obviously adds a certain excitement, without playing a major role in its performance. “I would like to have the results to make the Games, but at the same time, I am only 17 years old. I have my whole life ahead of me! I try not to stress too much about it. ”
The next scheduled World Cup is that of Steamboat, Colorado. Asselin, however, expects the event to be postponed due to the low amount of snow on site.