Tremblant World Cup | The disappointment of Grenier, the triumph of Brignone

(Mont-Tremblant) A royal podium, a massive and noisy crowd and the approval of the greatest skier in history: the Tremblant Alpine Ski World Cup did not miss its first impression on Saturday.

The only discordant note: the disappointment of the local star, Valérie Grenier, eighth in this inaugural giant slalom, where the competitors had to negotiate with a little snow in the first run and fog at the top of the Flying Mile slope.

“Everyone is talking to me about it, the crowd is sick, we can hear you all the way up there,” Grenier told the crowd that filled Place Saint-Bernard at the end of the afternoon. According to the organizers, more than 10,000 spectators attended the competitions.

That a Canadian skier almost apologizes for an eighth place is indicative of the status acquired over the past year by Valérie Grenier. Seventh in the standings, she could legitimately aim for the podium for her first World Cup start in front of her extended family, including her grandfather Marcel Bourdon, 84, with whom she learned to ski in the premier resort of the Laurentians.

More nervous than expected when starting as second starter in the initial round, the 27-year-old Franco-Ontarian did very well by recording the sixth time, 0.77 seconds behind the leader, the Italian Federica Brignone.

At the restart, in the afternoon, Grenier did not manage to execute her plan as she wanted, surprised by the fourth turn, which caused problems for several participants, and unbalanced by one of the rollers in the section middle plate. After arriving, she nodded to express her dissatisfaction, before sending contrite greetings. She was then provisional third.

“The result is not bad, it’s correct, but I’m still disappointed,” she admitted to journalists. On the second descent, I was hoping to get to the bottom first and maybe try to climb back up a bit. It didn’t happen like that. The course was still difficult from the start. There wasn’t much rhythm in the section where it was spinning a bit more. I was having trouble skiing the way I wanted to. »

Valérie Grenier nevertheless realized “a dream” by playing on her mountain in the company of the best on the planet, praising the performance of her young teammates Britt Richardson and Cassidy Gray, respectively 15^e and 24^e, two personal highs. “They did really well; It’s fun to see and I’m very proud of them. »

Seventh in Sölden and fifth in Killington, the winner of a first World Cup last winter is very eager to complete two flawless runs. “That’s a bit of what’s happening to date,” judged the woman who maintains her seventh place overall. It’s flat, but at the same time, I know that in the sections where I don’t make mistakes, I’m able to ski fast. I just wish I would stop making a lot of mistakes like I did today. »

In total for the two rounds, longer than anticipated by former world champion Erik Guay, Grenier was 1.85 seconds behind the winner, the Italian Brignone. Imperial in the first descent, where she offered herself a cushion of 0.11 sec over Olympic champion Sara Hector (4^e in the end), the Snow Tigress roared louder in the second round to increase its lead and thus sign 22^e victory of his career on the circuit.

“It’s beautiful because I had never won or made a podium in Canada,” she marveled in her Val d’Aosta French. “It’s a new track, a new place, there are a lot of people. There was Mitch commenting to the announcer. It was weird, but beautiful. There were a lot of emotions. »

The “Mitch” in question is Marie-Michèle Gagnon, a recently retired Quebec skier who acted as an analyst for the event. Mistress of ceremonies at the awards ceremony, she injected a little madness into the rather conservative world of the White Circus. Gagnon surprised her friend Brignone on the podium by asking her to honor a bet made the day before: she would perform a dance step with a Canadian “twist” if she won.

“Now here? » panicked the 33-year-old Italian, showing her ski boots. The Olympic vice-champion finally performed a few steps which could be compared to a jig Canadian eveningto the delight of the crowd.

More circumspect, the great Petra Vhlova, second, did not hide her disappointment at escaping first place by 22 hundredths. “The last giant slalom did not go well [10^e à Killington], so I’m happy, but I always want to be at the top,” explained the 28-year-old Slovak, world champion in 2019. “The podium is good, but I wanted a victory today. »

Ironically, Mikaela Shiffrin was much happier with her third position. Injured before Levi’s first slaloms at the beginning of the month, the 28-year-old American is still finding her bearings as a giant. For the winningest female skier in history, this is equivalent to a podium, 142^e of his career in 255 starts, a staggering average of more than 50%.

The Vail athlete clenched her fist after seeing that she was temporarily in the lead, letting out her joy by pumping her arms as she spotted the time of her second run on the board.

“I’m always a little surprised because I always feel like I’m going to be a little slower,” she explained. I was excited to take the lead, of course, but I kind of looked back and saw that my second run time was the fastest at that point. That was the most exciting thing because my second runs haven’t been the most competitive the last few races. »

Shiffrin indirectly praised the work of the organizers, who worked hard to give relief to the middle section with snow cannons and machinery maneuvers.

“There was some pretty interesting terrain up there. It’s not the most difficult trail at first glance, but with the added terrain it ranks perhaps among the most demanding. There are so many things to remember. Almost every corner has a roll and some of them are quite sharp. So you have to be very aggressive and clean, but also very tactically aware. »

Like Brignone and Vhlova, Shiffrin praised the Quebec and Canadian crowd, which compared it to that of Killington, Vermont, which she described as “the loudest on the circuit.” “You could hear it from the starting gate. The enthusiasm is truly wonderful. »

Marie-Michèle Gagnon even managed to extract from the American the only words in French she knew: “Where is the toilet?” » The anti-doping chaperone, who had been following her since the end of the event, was surely able to tell her… Shiffrin concluded the interviews by accepting a large chocolate-glazed donut offered to her by two podcast hosts.

After this promising first, the Tremblant World Cup will continue on Sunday with the presentation of a second giant slalom. The first round is scheduled for 11 a.m. and the second at 2:15 p.m.

After breaking the ice, Valérie Grenier intends to get back on track. “That’s how I feel since the race is over: now I know the crowd and I know how it’s going to go. So I can relax a little more and approach it like a normal day. »

As normal as a first Alpine Ski World Cup in Mont-Tremblant in 40 years can be.