Without even having tried it in training, Olivia Asselin landed a new maneuver on Friday to get her hands on the bronze medal in the big jump (Big Air) at the Copper Mountain World Cup in Colorado.
The 18-year-old skier is thus on the podium for the first time in her career in the World Cup. Sixth in qualifying, she missed her first attempt in the final before making her second, earning her 83.50 points.
At the end of the first two heats, Asselin was in sixth place. She decided to try a switch left double 1080 mute, a jump she had never tried before on the snow, only on the air bag on which she trains during the summer.
“I was going all out, hoping to land it! shared Asselin to Sportcom, about his third jump which earned him 85.50 points.
If I didn’t, I had no chance of getting on the podium, so I decided to go ahead and if I didn’t, at least I would have tried everything. It’s fun to take a risk and see that it worked! It really is a beautiful feeling.
Olivia Asselin
Her compatriot Megan Oldham, fifth in qualifying, won the gold medal with a total of 176.00 points. The Ontarian was already assured of victory before starting for a third time, in the grand final.
Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland took silver with 172.00 points.
“It’s an almost entirely Canadian podium! Meg skied really well, it was cool to be with her on the podium,” said Olivia Asselin.
The day and the night
Olivia Asselin was not expecting such a performance at Copper Mountain following tough training sessions this week.
“I was really scared to do my tricks and I was out of my element,” she said.
These words do not inspire confidence, but come from the mouth of the bronze medalist of the day. The same who tried a new maneuver in the grand final and who chose to go “everything for everything”.
“It often happens to me in training, but in competition, the adrenaline kicks in and it goes well,” she explained.
The Olympian of the Beijing Games was aiming for this first podium this season. She had come very close to reaching it in Chur, at the start of the season, finishing just short, in fourth place. Asselin was not satisfied with this performance, where several competitors had fallen in the final, but the fourth place had had the effect of motivating her.
“I really wanted a first podium, I was waiting for it and I’m very proud of it. I would like to do more, so I will do everything to achieve it this season,” concluded Asselin.