ZHANGJIAKOU | At 46, the Brazilian and resident of Saint-Ferréol-des-Neiges in the Capitale-Nationale region Jaqueline Mourao is still as animated by the Olympic movement.
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Mourao is taking part in his fifth Winter Games this year in cross-country skiing, in addition to three appearances at the summer Games in mountain biking.
A pioneer of mountain biking in her native Brazil in the early 1990s when she learned everything on her own, Mourao had an encounter that would be decisive for her life as an athlete and her personal life in 2004.
Landed at Mont-Sainte-Anne in June to participate in the Mountain Bike World Cup with the aim of qualifying for the Athens Games, the cross-country skier is hosted by the man who will become her husband a few months later and the father of her two children.
After an 18and place in Athens and a wedding a few months later, Mourao set himself the challenge of taking part in the Turin Games two years later in cross-country skiing.
Olympian in cross-country skiing in Nagano in 1998, Guido Visser receives the mission to introduce his wife to the basics of his new sport.
Mourao takes up the challenge and she will be on the starting line of the 10 km classic in Turin where she will finish in 67and square. In 2014 in Sochi, she also participated in biathlon events in addition to cross-country skiing.
Photo REUTERS
Jaqueline Mourao in Oslo, Norway in 2011.
give hope
“Everything is possible in life when you put in the effort,” she said on Tuesday after the freestyle sprint where she took the 84and rank. I’m taking part in my eighth Games. I want to give hope to athletes in my country. I am the President of the Cycling Athletes Commission of my country. I help athletes understand the sport system. »
“I saw the snow for the first time at the age of 27 and got my best result in recurve last January, chasing the first Brazilian to have participated in the Summer and Winter Games. I prove the opposite of the beliefs that think that I am too old and that I come from a country where cross-country skiing is very little known. »
What motivates her to continue?
“I want to surpass myself, I still love the Olympic movement and I want to continue practicing sport,” explained the mother of two children aged 7 and 11.
“For the first time at the Games, Brazil is fielding more than one woman in cross-country skiing. That makes me very happy. And for the first time, I will take part in three events instead of just one. 17 years old, my teammate [Eduarda Ribera] roller-skied in Brazil until November before leaving for Europe with the national team,” she continued.
Happy at Mont-Sainte-Anne
For his part, Mourao lives a stone’s throw from his playground.
“I’m happy to have trained at Mont-Sainte-Anne at minus 25 degrees because it prepared me well for China,” she said with a smile after giving a long interview to a few journalists. Brazilians present on the cross-country ski site.
“I was ready even if I found the course very difficult and very demanding. With that first race against much younger girls in a sprint to boot, I opened up the carb and developed my routine in anticipation of the classic events,” Mourao explained.
Did the children watch their mother’s performance?
“I think they were sleeping. My mother came from Brazil to take care of the children. As a coach, Guido is with me in China in addition to the technician John Lamothe who takes care of my skis. »
Will she be on the starting line at Cortina d’Ampezzo in 2026?
Surprising courses in the freestyle sprint
Invited at the last minute, Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt experienced his Olympic baptism on Tuesday in the freestyle sprint.
“It was surreal to have that moment,” said the cross-country skier from Morin Heigts, who lives and trains in Canmore, Alta. Since the age of eight or ten, I dreamed of participating in the Olympic Games. It had been a long time since I had participated in a sprint at this level, but my expectations were high. My goal was to qualify for the elimination rounds, but I didn’t succeed. »
“That you end up at 31and or at 71and rank, it does not change much, to add Bouffard-Nesbitt, who finished in 40and position. The goal is to break into the Top 30. I’m proud of my performance, but at the Games, you want to reach the elimination rounds. »
Excluded from the Olympic team during the first wave of announcements from Nordiq Canada, Bouffard-Nesbitt learned the good news of his selection from the mouth of his friend.
“He was looking at the FIS site which followed the selection process when he told me that I had a good chance of being chosen,” said the 29-year-old cross-country skier. I felt a lot of emotions. The Canadian team had invited me to the last training camp and told me to continue training as if I were going to the Games. I tried not to think about it too much while preparing. »
Canada eventually secured two more entries, and Bouffard-Nesbitt secured their invite.
“I knew I had a chance and I had kept hope. »
Cendrine Browne Surprise
Author of an excellent 20and place in the skiathlon event on Saturday, Cendrine Browne surprised herself in the sprint.
“I’m really happy with my race,” she said. This is my career best result in the sprint. Because I’m a distance girl, I surprised myself. It’s a tough course that requires power from start to finish, which helped me. »
“I’m a little sad to have come so close to qualifying, but I can’t complain too much, to continue the author of the 35and square. There are a lot of positives to take away from this race. »
Léveillé lacked energy
For his part, Olivier Léveillé lacked energy after delivering a strong performance two days earlier in the skiathlon, where he finished in 31and square
“The super powerful guys who hadn’t done the skiathlon had an advantage,” said the 20-year-old cross-country skier who took 5and rank. The snow had also changed a lot and it was faster. The turns came faster. It was a roll of the dice whether the form was going to be there or not. To have participated in the sprint will not harm me in the preparation of the 15 km classic. »
Antoine Cyr finished in 56and square. The top Canadian was Graham Ritchie with a 34and position. On the women’s side, Dahria Beatty qualified for the elimination rounds before being eliminated in the quarter-finals in a very strong wave. She concluded in 25and position.
Baptism of the Games in love
The first participation in the Olympic Games of Laura Leclair is enhanced by the presence of her boyfriend.
The cross-country skier from the Pierre Harvey National Training Center is in a relationship with her teammate Antoine Cyr, who is also experiencing his baptism of the Games.
“It’s really special to experience the Games together,” said Leclair. We are in the same village and we practice the same sport. Unlike the stages of the World Cup last year, where we were really separated in two different bubbles and we could not see or speak to each other, we are in the same bubble in China. It’s really fun. »
With the mask
Because they are spouses in everyday life, do Leclair and Cyr wear the mask at the Olympic Village?
“Out of respect for our teammates, we wear the mask, but we live well with that after having been two and a half months without speaking and seeing each other in the World Cup. Cendrine Browne is my roommate and I wouldn’t want a bad thing to happen. »
Leclair fully lives his Olympic experience.
“It’s a life goal that comes true,” said the Chelsea resident. This is the pinnacle of my career. I am so grateful to all the people who have helped me. I enjoy every moment and live the Olympic life. »
Satisfied
Champion of the sprint at the Olympic Trials in Canmore in January, which opened the doors to the Games, Leclair finished in 58th place at the same event on Tuesday morning.
“I am satisfied to have given everything, she summarized. I had a stomach ache this morning due to nervousness. I’m just happy to have finished the event and to be an Olympian. »
“My goal was to reach the heats, added Leclair, but I knew that would be quite difficult to achieve. I enjoyed the moment and took in the atmosphere. »
Member of the 4 X 5 kilometer relay which finished in 9th place at the world championship in 2021 in Oberstdorf, the best Canadian result for 20 years, Leclair does not know if she will be retained within the quartet for the event to come at the Beijing Games. .
