(Montreal) “It’s a good thing that the season is over,” declared Marie-Michèle Gagnon, completely exhausted at the end of her 21and place signed on Wednesday in the descent of the World Cup finals in Courchevel and Meribel.
Posted at 11:55 a.m.
The last two weeks have been trying for the skier from Lac-Etchemin, who has drawn on her reserves to be at the start of her last event on the calendar, in France.
Her timer stopped at 1:28.45 when she crossed the finish line. A result that places it at 21and rung, 1.45 seconds behind American Mikaela Shiffrin, the gold medalist.
This is how Marie-Michèle Gagnon’s 2021-2022 season ends. She will have collected four top-10 downhill finishes on the World Cup circuit, including a 5and place in Zauchensee. At the Beijing Olympics, the third of her career, she took 8and rank of this discipline.
“I’m completely flat mentally, I have no more energy in me. It’s a shame, I know I ski well, but right now I don’t have the confidence or the mental energy to race,” admitted the Quebecer.
Nervousness has accompanied Gagnon throughout this Olympic season and the accumulation has weighed heavily on his shoulders, especially during competitions.
“I am no longer able to manage this stress, I find it difficult to concentrate and I am tired. It’s a shame, I can ski at a high level, but in races I lack the mental strength and the desire to attack or fight. »
Mikaela Shiffrin couldn’t do better than an 18and downhill spot this year. Immersed in a battle for the crystal globe with Slovak Petra Vlhova, the skier from the United States dealt a blow to her rival by winning the gold medal on Wednesday.
She was the 21and to set off on the track and recorded a time of 1 min 27 s.
Austria’s Christine Scheyer and Switzerland’s Joana Haehlen tied behind her, both a tenth of a second off the lead. Petra Vlhova points to 16and rank (+0.78 seconds).
For her part, the Italian Sofia Goggia, world title holder in the downhill, won the little crystal globe by beating the Olympic champion of this event, the Swiss Corinne Suter, in the final classification.
With the win, Shiffrin now has a 156-point lead over the Slovak. She will try to increase this lead on Thursday during the super-G.
Marie-Michèle Gagnon was not able to qualify for this event reserved for the top-25 in the specialty. She will cheer on the other members of the national team until the end of the week before returning home and resting.