LAKE LOUISE | Marie-Michelle Gagnon is impatient to compete in her first races of the season.
Descents are on the menu on Friday and Saturday, while the Super G will be in the spotlight on Sunday on the last day of the Lake Louise World Cup. She took part in her first downhill training on Tuesday, after yesterday’s was canceled due to rain and fog. We are keeping our fingers crossed for tomorrow, but the races will take place if conditions allow it since the rule to hold at least one training session has been respected and we expect the mercury to drop by the end of the week.
“It’s the first time in my career that I’m waiting for December to start my season,” said Gagnon. My experience has helped me to be patient. I worked indoors in addition to the snow camps. I gained muscle mass and gained strength. The training is different from the one I did when I was in slalom where the objective was to be light in order to be fast. Downhill, speed is also important, but it takes more power. ”
Special race
Victim of a nasty fall in 2017 in Lake Louise, does Gagnon have fears of returning to the Albertan course? She suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in addition to a shoulder injury, which prevented her from competing in the Pyeongchang Olympics.
“I have no apprehensions, she assured. When I fell, I made a small mistake in a turn which is now safer. It was bad luck to crash me and it will not happen again. It went well when I returned in 2018. ”
Despite her long experience, the 32-year-old skier still has special feelings when she performs at home. She will be making her 11th career start at Lake Louise. “I’m excited and it’s always special to compete in Canada. It makes a difference this year because I am now a speed skier. These are my events. It’s so beautiful and peaceful with volunteers who are passionate about skiing. ”
Gagnon succeeded on 7e fastest time on the training run on Tuesday.
“There’s a lot of room for improvement,” she said of her training run. All the girls made a relaxed descent. The conditions were bad. It was not dangerous, but it was not ideal. The race would not have taken place, but we forced ourselves to hold the training so that we could run at the end of the week. “
Gagnon had never seen anything like it in Lake Louise during his long career. “It’s not normal for it to be hot like this at this time of year. Conditions are usually always perfect with a hard bottom. ”