Alpine skiing | Laurence St-Germain: at the Olympic Games through the front door

It was with rage in her heart that Laurence St-Germain secured her qualification for her second Olympic Games on Tuesday at the Slalom World Cup in Schladming, Austria.

Simon drouin
Press

After a first round where she was only a shadow of herself (25^e), the skier from Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges rebounded by setting the second fastest time in the final heat, which pushed her up to the eighth level, her best result of the season.

“After the first run, I was really disappointed, really angry. I lost my mind a bit. I said to myself: there, I really have nothing to lose. I almost like going out better [de parcours] than to still end up outside the top 20. I had to attack. ”

Only the American Mikaela Shiffrin, fifth in the first heat, did better than the Canadian (- 0.22 s) on the restart, on her way to the 47^e victory of his career in slalom. This triumph allows him to surpass Ingemar Stenmark for the most success in a single discipline. The Swede won 46 times as a giant in the 1970s and 1980s.

“I thought to myself, surprise yourself, give it all for everything,” said St-Germain, who finished 1.51s behind Shiffrin. “When I saw the result at the bottom, I knew I had made a good descent. I was really happy. ”

The next nine riders were unable to dislodge St-Germain from the leader’s seat. Her young teammate Amelia Smart came closest, but she conceded 17 hundredths at the finish, which earned her the ninth final, a personal high.

The Austrian Chiara Maier finally edged the Quebecer by 46 hundredths to finish fourth.

“To be better mentally”

On the Planai track, a classic for men used for the first time by women, St-Germain took advantage of the mistakes of several competitors to climb the standings. In the spotlight, his compatriot Ali Nullmeyer, fifth in Zagreb and sixth in Kranjska Gora, wasted an excellent first round (3^e tied) while riding.

With this third result among the top 15 since the start of the winter, St-Germain fulfills Alpine Canada’s “category 1” Olympic qualification criteria.

“She had already successfully qualified,” said the head coach of the women’s team, Manuel Gamper. She’s managed to put together a decent run by perhaps focusing a little less on expectations or trying to find her internal balance, which seems to be holding her back so far this season. One step at a time. It’s not quite there yet, but she now has a specific element to work on. ”

After a difficult start to the season, St-Germain believed they had recovered by taking ninth place in the Lienz slalom on December 29. A fall in Zagreb and a 22^e position in Kranjska Gora two days ago plunged her into doubt.

The Schladming slalom was the last before the Beijing Games scheduled for February 9. “I was trying not to think about it too much,” said the 27-year-old, 15^e at the PyeongChang Games. My goal in the last races was not to set a goal linked to the results. I wanted to be mentally better at the start so that I could attack better. ”

With her failure in the first round, the biomedical engineering student finds that she is not there yet. Her wish is to work on her consistency in training by taking advantage of the emulation of her Canadian teammates, who have been on the rise in recent weeks.

Leader after a round, the Slovakian Petra Vlhová, winner of five of the six slaloms so far, yielded 15 hundredths to her eternal rival Shiffrin, in tears after the confirmation of her victory, her 73^e at only 26 years old. Vlhová nevertheless ensured its grip on the small globe of the specialty. Germany’s Lena Dürr completed the podium, her third of the season.

St-Germain will return to Saint-Ferréol the day after tomorrow to enjoy a welcome week of rest before heading to Italy for a final block of training. His Olympic ambitions have not changed.

“Of course I’m still aiming for a medal. If I can have two solid runs, do my best ski, I’m going to be happy. Or at least just come in feeling confident with constant training that will make me think I can ski to the height of my abilities. ”