On Sunday, Marie-Michèle Gagnon obtained her second best result of the season in the Alpine Skiing World Cup by finishing 13e super-G in Sankt Anton am Arlberg, Austria. The athlete from Lac-Etchemin climbed 13 places compared to his ranking on Saturday on the same track. The Quebecer was 1.49 seconds behind the winner, Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami, who signed her second victory in 2022-2023.
First in the super-G the day before, the Italian Federica Brigone (+0.15 s) finished second, while her compatriot Marta Bassino (+0.52 s) was the last to stand on the podium. Valérie Grenier (+2.60 s) for her part took the 24e rank.
Sunday’s event was contested on a course with difficult snow conditions and reduced visibility, while 17 participants were unable to cross the finish line. The strong winds even forced the organizers to interrupt the race and then cancel it, which deprived six runners of a start, including the Canadian Stefanie Fleckenstein.
PHOTO MARCO TROVATI, ASSOCIATED PRESS
The winner, Switzerland’s Lara Gut Behrami
In this bumpy and technical course which was very similar to that of the day before, Gagnon however did much better, even if she does not want to boast about this 13e square.
“It’s really a nice improvement compared to yesterday [samedi]. I’m happy to have changed that in one day, because yesterday I was still disappointed with my performance and especially my attitude. I was on the limit in a few places, I made mistakes, but my attitude was better,” admitted the 33-year-old skier, whose best result this season is an eighth place finish in the super-G in Lake Louise, in early December.
The racing calendar has been considerably reduced and turned upside down since the start of the season due to the lack of snow and the weather conditions in Europe. Faced with this, the veteran of the Canadian team tries to take the situation with a grain of salt.
“It’s the same for everyone, so nobody can take advantage of it, except that mentally it’s still quite exhausting. We do everything as if we were taking part in the race, but we don’t do it. […] When I had less self-confidence, it was more tough to sit and do nothing, because I just wanted to race and improve to find my level. At times like these, it’s harder to take breaks. It makes conversations in my head which are still interesting, ”concluded Gagnon, laughing.
Dry breakdown for Valérie Grenier
Valérie Grenier has revealed that she hasn’t been in her best shape lately. The athlete from the Mont-Tremblant club mentioned that she fell ill after the giant slaloms in Kranjska Gora and described her day on Sunday as “very difficult”.
PHOTO JOE KLAMAR, AGENCY FRANCE-PRESSE
Valerie Grenier
“I was trying to act like everything was okay, but today [dimanche], it’s crazy how I had no energy. I told myself that I was okay to race, but once on the track, not even a third of the way through, I felt that my legs were going to let go. I just had no energy. I still wanted to race, because I felt great mentally, except I didn’t realize how my legs were just dead. »
With hindsight, the Franco-Ontarian recognizes that it was perhaps not the best idea to take the start because of the possible risks on a track that she descends at high speed.
“It’s a lesson learned, but at the same time, as much as it could have been dangerous, I’m still happy to have collected points, so it’s a good thing. »