For the first time in 15 years, none of the Dufour-Lapointe sisters will participate in the World Cup mogul circuit. Indeed, Justine has informed the Canadian team that she will pass this season. His future in the sport, which has won him two Olympic medals, including one gold, also seems uncertain.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
“I can only confirm that Justine has told us she is not skiing with our team this season,” Freestyle Canada High Performance Director Todd Allison wrote Friday.
The federation officially announced the composition of the Canadian team on October 18th. Justine Dufour-Lapointe, 28, is therefore not one of them. She simply hasn’t signed an agreement with Freestyle Canada. She has not participated in any team activity since the last World Cup event in Megeve on March 19.
His trainer Michel Hamelin is not surprised. “I knew it, she told me: ‘Mike, for sure I’m not coming back in mogul skiing,’ he explained Thursday morning. But it looks like she kept her status pending. »
The only thing I can say is that it won’t ski moguls, that’s for sure.
Michael Hamelin
the coach responsible for the World Cup program for the Canadian team goes further, specifying that he does not believe that the 2014 Olympic champion will ever return to the discipline.
Victim of a dramatic fall in the first run of the final of the Beijing Games last February, the youngest of the three Dufour-Lapointe sisters had cast doubt on the possibility that she would try her luck for her fourth Olympic Games. , in 2026.
At the bottom of the slope that evening, Hamelin did not hide his wish to see his talented athlete continue on his way. “Justine is still young, so there was a possibility that she would stay,” he expressed on Thursday.
Her fall was an anomaly for this lively skier as a cat, underlined the technician.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
Justine Dufour-Lapointe at the Beijing Olympics last February
“Justine arrived in China even more ready [qu’en 2018 à PyeongChang]. His run was really an improvement on what we did in Korea. […] It is rare that she falls. At the Olympics, she pushed and said to herself, “Me, I’m getting out of my panties and I’m going.” It’s something I’m very proud of her. »
Hamelin describes her as a “tiger” who knows how to raise her level in big moments.
In addition to her Olympic title in Sochi, where her sister Chloé accompanied her on the second step of the podium, Justine won silver in 2018. She also distinguished herself with four medals at four consecutive world championships, including gold in singles and silver in parallel in Kreischberg (Austria) in 2015.
Of course it’s a loss for the team, but I feel that in the last few years they have fought to stay motivated. The Games really re-motivated her. There, I think there is a letting go and she decided to do something else.
Michael Hamelin
In reflection
According to the echoes heard by the coach, Justine Dufour-Lapointe is toying with the project of one day taking part in freeride in the high mountains. The Quebecer has also posted a few videos on Instagram where she performed in this discipline during a recent trip to New Zealand.
His agent Alex Pouliot refused to talk about “retirement” for his client. He simply confirmed Friday that she would not participate in the World Cup mogul circuit this winter, and that she was not ruling out a return. She is in reflection, he was content to say. He hinted that she will have more to announce soon. The main interested party was not available for an interview.
In addition to his Olympic and World Championship medals, Dufour-Lapointe has made 117 World Cup starts since his debut in 2010, climbing the podium 49 times, for a remarkable success average of nearly 42%. Only Jennifer Heil is ahead of her in this chapter in Canada with 58 mogul podiums. She signed a total of 15 victories; the last dates back to February 2020 on the challenging course of Deer Valley (Utah), where she often had good times.
Best Canadian in Beijing with the ninth rank, Chloé confirmed her retirement at 30 on September 14th. She is studying fashion management and design at UQAM. For her part, the eldest, Maxime, hung up her skis in 2018. A medical student at the University of Montreal, she acted as a mentor to Canadian athletes at the Beijing Games.
The first leg of the 2022-2023 Freestyle Skiing World Cup is scheduled in Ruka, Finland on December 3-4.
Sofiane Gagnon absent
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
Sofiane Gagnon
Sofiane Gagnon, a promising skier in the women’s program, is still part of the Canadian team, even though she won’t be competing in any races this winter. The 23-year-old British Columbian will continue training, but wanted to take a break after two busy years that took her to 12e echelon at the Beijing Olympics, said coach Michel Hamelin. For her part, Valérie Gilbert has decided to put her skis away for good in order to join the RCMP. The 24-year-old Quebecer has participated in 30 World Cup events, recording eighth place as her best result at Tremblant in 2020.