BEIJING – Athlete of few words, Laurie Blouin is happy with her performance at the Beijing Games. Since the 2018 Games in Korea, the Quebec snowboarder has made her mark on all the acrobatic stages of the world. In slopestyle or big air, it is there.
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One would have thought that the athlete’s life would have changed drastically after his silver medal at the slopestyle in Pyeongchang. That sponsors would snatch it up and lug it around the world, where windsurfing events draw massive crowds.
But no. Blouin has seen an increase in his popularity in his sport, in the virtual world of social networks and the interest of a few sponsors, nothing more. She stayed down to earth.
And this, even if she won the Big Air World Championship in Aspen, Colorado, last year.
“I stayed humble. My life has changed a bit with these performances, but it’s not as much as you might think. I have seen sponsors leave and others arrive. There was nothing scary,” said the 25-year-old athlete from Stoneham.
Less obvious than before
By trying to calculate the approaches of the sponsors, she quickly stopped.
“Sport fluctuates so much. I have O’Neill who has been with me since I was 13. Desjardins left. Others have asked me. That’s how it is in our industry.
“Before, it was easy to sign $60,000 contracts with a company. This is no longer the case. It has become very difficult.”
However, the discipline has followers around the world. Young people are interested in it. The first big air competition at the 2018 Olympics was spectacular. The spotlight was on their acrobatics. And here they are again at the Beijing Games in a mysterious place where they are the stars.
Why is it now difficult?
“Impossible to put my finger on the exact reason. Maybe the old sponsors spend the money differently. Budgets may have shrunk or disappeared. I don’t know what to say,” she replied.
“Koko” has style
Nevertheless, Blouin continues on its good momentum of the last years.
With this 8th place in the Olympic jump, she will continue her career by following the rapid evolution of her sport.
Among other things, she will have to follow the rhythm of the Japanese, real acrobats on the board. In the final, Reira Iwabuchi attempted a triple “under flip”, a very rare maneuver that has never been perfectly achieved in competition.
Young sensation Kokoma Murase is also pushing the bar higher and higher. She became the youngest X-Games champion in 2018 at the age of 13.
In the big air final, she was aiming for the same record. She finally won the bronze medal in a mind-blowing final where the level of competition reached new heights.
Talking about “Koko”, Blouin admires her style and the beauty of her movements in the air.
“She has looks.”
By receiving an excellent third score of 86.25 for his frontside double cork 1080 weddle, Blouin also showed “looks” in the final after taking 4th place in qualifying.
Finishing in 8th position, Blouin improved on her 2018 Olympic performance when she finished the event in 12th place.
His professional life could change again. She will still have both feet firmly planted on the ground.
beijing express
sleep box
Photo François-David Rouleau
The more the Games go on, the more fatigue sets in throughout the Olympic Village. The long hours and the days stretching further and further into the night weigh on the system.
Uncrowded two weeks ago, the small rest cabins lined up in the first basement of the media center are now occupied. It is possible to take a snooze and work there in a certain tranquility, especially in busy places. You should know that some members of the press live almost literally in the huge building usually used as a national convention center. A veritable anthill also housing the international Olympic committees, this center simply does not sleep during the Olympic fortnight.
Sometimes, depending on the time, a sleepover is required.
Iron bubble, metal cages
No need to dream of visiting Beijing, the metal barriers and the thousands of kilometers of fences delimiting the Olympic bubble remind us that we are locked up there until we leave the country.
Beneath the structure of the Big Air, barbed wire twisted under a fence reminds us of the ban on breaking the bubble. However, it would only take a small jump to thwart the installation.
Useless, because a body of water extends on the other side.
By surveying the main arteries of the city on board the shuttles, one can make out a bit of life in Beijing. But without the flavors, smells and all the secrets it hides in its narrow streets. In a taxi ride to save some time, the driver took a few shortcuts in neighborhoods where charter buses don’t venture. He gave us an instant and striking look at Chinese life. Grilled and protected by iron bars, the small apartments piled up on top of each other.
Complex operation
Surprise at the laundry room of the Zhangjiakou hotel complex when our faithful photographer Didier Debusschère tried to do a small load of laundry before returning to town. He ran into a washing machine that was impossible to decipher. Everything was written in Chinese. So how do you choose the right cycle? Resourceful, Didz studied neighboring machines before finding one with sketchy translations. He returned to Beijing fresh as a rose. It’s always better than washing in the bath.