Olympian Marion Thénault delighted the crowd gathered at the Relay by winning the gold medal of the World Cup in aerials this afternoon.
Last to start in front of her parents, family, friends and former gymnastics coach, Thénault managed an excellent jump to sign the second victory of her career in the World Cup and at the same time take the lead in the cumulative ranking. . In the super final, she made the back full double full for the first time in the World Cup.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” Thénault said. The crowd gave me a lot of energy. This is one of my best jumps in a long time. I’m really proud and it’s so special to share this moment with everyone. I will wear the yellow jersey on Sunday for the first time in my career.
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With the exclusion of Australian Olympic gold medalist Danielle Scott and her compatriot Laura Peel from the super final, the Sherbrooke jumper wanted to seize her chance. “When I saw that two legends and two girls that I admire a lot had not reached the super final, I had a little inner voice that said Marion is yours, she said. Last to start in the super final, I was in my bubble and I wanted to make the best jump possible.
Meticulous mental preparation
Happy to perform at home, Thénault had to deal with this additional pressure. “The mental preparation had a big impact,” she explained. Last year even though amateurs were not allowed due to sanitary rules, I was stressed to compete at home. This year, I knew that emotional management would be more difficult. So I followed a very strict mental routine and did a lot of visualization. It went better than in visualization.”
Will Thénault aim for the double tomorrow? “I will enjoy my victory before thinking about tomorrow.”
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Jeff Bean praised his protege. “It’s really, really exceptional what Marion has accomplished,” said the Canadian team head coach. She pulled off her best career jump at home with all the pressure that comes with it. She handled the pressure very well. Now we have to do it again tomorrow.”
“Despite the absence of two of the best in the super final, Marion made her same jumps, continued Bean. She would have beaten them anyway.”
With a score of 96.23 points, Thénault earned her career-best World Cup score to edge American Ashley Caldwell (92) and Ukrainian Anastasiya Novosad (86.71).
First final
In her first career World Cup, Rosalie Gagnon reached the final, finishing in 11th place. “I didn’t expect to make the final at my first World Cup,” admitted the 16-year-old Quebec team skier. I had no pressure and I was here just to gain experience. I was very moved when the girls from the Quebec team surrounded me to celebrate when my qualification for the final was confirmed.
In his first career World Cup, Charlie Fontaine was unable to secure his ticket to the final. She finished in 14th place. Olympian Flavie Aumond also missed the final. She fell and took 16th place.
Lewis Irving is bold and falls in the super final
The audacity of Lewis Irving did not pay off in the super final.
First to go in the final round, Irving played big betting on a triple somersault with five twists. It was the first time the Beijing Olympics bronze medalist in the mixed event had attempted this jump in competition and he was unable to land it. He finished in 5th place.
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“It’s unfortunate that I wasn’t able to land it, but I’m glad I made my big jump under pressure,” he said. It was daring because it’s one of the hardest jumps on the circuit, but I’m going to need that jump at the world championship. I was aiming for gold and I would have been untouchable if I had succeeded.
Jeff Bean will bet on the same strategy today, during the second Relay World Cup. “We want to push on the degree of difficulty in anticipation of the World Cup,” explained the head coach of the Canadian team. We would have liked him to get on the podium, but I’m glad we tried the jump in order to take the stress off in the future. He has already succeeded in training. Lewis made a good jump, but he came two km/h too fast. It’s my fault, not his.”
Bronze medalist at Ruka in the first event of the season, Irvinq tasted every moment of his experience in front of a conquered crowd. “It’s incredible the energy we felt because of the crowd. I can’t wait to do it again tomorrow.”
American Quinn Dehlinger edged Swiss Noe Roth and Ukrainian Dmytro Kotovski to win gold.
Four Canadians in the final
In addition to Irving, three other Canadians reached the final reserved for the top 12 jumpers. For Victor Primeau, who qualified for a second consecutive World Cup, this was an unexpected result. The day got off to a bad start for Primeau, who cut his tongue after missing a jump in training.
“Two finals in two events, it is above my objectives, recognized the author of a 9th place. My goal was to pass a final this year and I’m already down to two. Confidence makes the difference.”
For their part, Alexandre Duchaine and Émile Nadeau took 10th and 11th place respectively. “I’m happy with my jump in qualifying, but less so with the one in the final where I wasn’t able to land it,” said Duchaine, who is the reigning Canadian champion. I will come back stronger tomorrow.”
Miha Fontaine excluded from the final
Miha Fontaine was unable to qualify for the final. He fell forward on landing and finished 15th. “Since our first descents this morning, the wind picked up and I started my start three meters higher, but it was not enough, he explained. It is sometimes difficult to make the right choice in these circumstances. I still lacked a bit of speed. I gave everything, but I have no control over the wind.
Bean was emotional when he commented on Fontaine’s performance. “It touches me that he missed the final. He was so close. He found himself two millimeters forward. His start and his jump were good. He is in the right place and he must keep his confidence.