Disqualified the day before despite a magnificent descent, Valérie Grenier wasted no time in proving once again what she was truly capable of. The Mont-Tremblant skier took fifth place in the giant slalom at the World Cup in Semmering, Austria, on Wednesday morning.
Like Tuesday, the conditions were fine in Austria and the 26-year-old skier had been on her legs since the start of the week.
The previous day, she had delivered possibly one of the best runs of her life, still in giant, by returning the fourth time of the first descent. She was however disqualified when she reached the bottom of the hill due to a false start. Had it not been for this incident, she would have been in an excellent position to fight for the first podium of her career. “It is sure that it was still a little bit in my head this morning, she revealed to The Press after the race, while she was away. I still moved on to something else. It was boring to ski so well yesterday and not be sure I could repeat the same thing, even though I knew I could. »
So, in a way, she picked up where she left off on Wednesday. The layout was very different from the day before, but Grenier still managed one of the best races of the day despite his bib position. “I feel extremely good, I’m super proud of myself, it feels good to have a good result like that. »
steal the show
With a first run of 1:01.18, she knocked on the door of the top 10 for the first time this season. Grenier was at 12e provisional rank, a jump of six places given his starting number. “This morning, it wasn’t a better descent,” she underlines. The course was super open. I was not very happy with my descent. »
PHOTO VLADIMIR SIMICEK, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Propelled by an excellent start, Valérie Grenier was solid on her skis from start to finish.
In the second round, she was amazing. “This afternoon, I was really focused on my skiing to do the right things. The Canadian had the best second run of the day. With a time of 1:03.18, she made sure to finish in the top 5. She did better than Mikaela Shiffrin, the eventual winner, beating her by 88 hundredths of a second.
Propelled by a great start, Grenier was solid on her skis from start to finish. She carved every corner like her life depended on it, which allowed her to generate loads of speed. Like a TGV, she crossed the finish line flawlessly, flawlessly, with a smile on her face. Grenier had just delivered one of the finest runs of his career. “When I got downstairs, I let go of all the frustration from the night before. It was really revenge,” she said.
She grabbed the lead. She just had to wait to see what the next eleven skiers were going to do.
With only six skiers left, Grenier was still the leader. Katharina Truppe crashed in the middle of the course and Sara Hector, one of the most consistent skiers on the circuit, just after, missed one of the last gates of the course. Grenier’s lot was improving. “I don’t want anyone getting hurt, I don’t want the girls falling, but for sure I was happy to see that I was going up. »
However, her ascent was hampered by the four remaining skiers. The Italians Frederica Brignone and Marta Bassino, two talented giantists, followed with better times. Winner the day before, Mikaela Shiffrin, despite a few collisions in the middle of the track and a slip that could have ended her day, beat them. Only Lara Gut-Behrami remained. The Swiss was a victim of imbalance and she was unable to generate more speed than the American. She had to settle for second place.
Shiffrin was therefore able to celebrate his 79e career victory. She is only three away from Lindsey Vonn’s absolute female record.
PHOTO PIERMARCO TACCA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
With his 79e victory, Mikaela Shiffrin approaches the women’s record of success of her compatriot Lindsey Vonn (82).
This is the fifth time in his career that Grenier has finished in the top 5. A first since the giant slalom in Kranjska Gora last January, when she finished fourth.
A sigh of relief
This result also puts a balm on the 2022 section of this season. She acknowledges that her start to the schedule has been below expectations. Prior to her result on Wednesday, she had completed just two of her three starts. For the rest, she had to settle for a 31e and a 12e place in Lake Louise and Sestriere earlier this month.
“It feels really good to see that things are going well and that I can trust myself. It’s encouraging for the next races,” she concluded.