Sherbrooke’s Marion Thénault won the aerials event of the Freestyle Skiing World Cup in Lac-Beauport on Saturday, signing a second career victory.
“We’re adding to the prize list!”, launched Thénault, overflowing with joy in the mixed zone of the Le Relais ski center. It’s the first at home and it’s an incredible feeling! The crowd was loud and I was just trying to calm myself down at the top of the track to get a good jump. It worked: I did my best jump in a really long time! »
This double back somersault with three twists succeeded in the super final allowed Thénault to collect 96.23 points from the judges, his best score in the World Cup. She beat American Ashley Caldwell (92.00), second at the last Worlds and fourth at the Beijing Olympics, and Ukrainian Anastasiya Novosad (86.71).
“Last year, I was stressed to compete at home, so I did a lot of visualization, declared the one who had taken second place on the same track last year. It went really well, better than viewing! »
“The jumps, I really did them several times. What is most difficult is to succeed at the right time. That’s a lot of inner management. The goal is to make it look easy, so I’m very happy if it looked easy. »
This is his second podium in as many World Cups this season, after his silver medal acquired in Ruka on December 4, and his fifth in his career. With 180 points, Thénault now ranks first in the Crystal Globe standings, ahead of Australian Danielle Scott, eighth on Saturday, at 132 points. Novosad follows at 92 points.
“When I saw that Danielle, a girl I admire and adore, didn’t make it to the super final, there was a little inner voice that said to me: ‘That one is the here, my dear”. »
To put on the yellow jersey on Sunday for the first time in her career delights her.
“But one competition at a time: I will try to continue on this “momentum” that I am building, indicated Thénault. The jump I did in the super final was the first time I did it in the World Cup; it paid off. One step at a time: I try not to get carried away too quickly. »
The 22-year-old skier was the only Canadian in the super final. Her 16-year-old teammate Rosalie Gagnon, who was taking part in her first World Cup, still qualified for the final, where her career ended in 11th place.
Only the first six competitors in the final, counting 12 jumpers, obtained their ticket for the super final.
Irving loses his bet
On the men’s side, Quebec’s Lewis Irving tried a new maneuver in the super final — a backward triple somersault punctuated by five spins — to sneak up to the podium, but he missed his landing, his head banging violently against the track, without too bad for the 27-year-old athlete, who finished fifth with 80.00 points.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t land the jump, I was too fast,” explained Irving. […] I was aiming for the gold medal: to succeed in this jump, it would have put enormous pressure on everyone. I think it was close. To have managed to pass the five twists, it showed me that I am capable of doing it in all situations. »
“It was my third on snow and my first in competition. We’re going to need that at the World Championships. [Les gars] master several variations of the five twist. Maybe we will even need it in qualifying for the Worlds. Must be able to perform it anytime. It was necessary to put mileage in a competitive situation (on this jump). »
The podium went to American Quinn Dehlinger (122.62), Swiss Noé Roth (121.24) and Ukrainian Dmytro Kotovskyi (120.81).
Irving was the sole representative of the maple leaf in the super final, despite the presence of three compatriots in the previous phase. Victor Primeau, Alexandre Duchaine and Émile Nadeau were all eliminated at this stage, taking ninth, 10th and 11th place respectively.
The day ended prematurely for Miha Fontaine. Thirteenth at the Beijing Games, Fontaine experienced misfires on the landing of his maneuver and finished 15th in qualifying.
“It had gone really well during training; this is the first time it’s happened to me here [à Lac-Beauport]. These are things that happen, that we do not control, he explained. What’s fun is that [dimanche], it’s a completely different event and we can only hope for better. »
Gabriel Dion, Nicolas Martineau, Anthony Noël, Pierre-Olivier Côté, Charlie Fontaine, Flavie Aumond and Alexandra Montminy also bit the dust in qualifying.
The competition takes place with a diminished field due to the absence of Russians and Belarusians, banned from competition by the International Ski Federation (FIS), as well as that of the Chinese, who did not obtain their visa in time. to enter the country. However, they will arrive in time to compete in the Canadian Championships, held in the form of an omnium, next week on the same track.