(Beaupré) Audrey McManiman had a day the opposite of that of her compatriot Eliot Grondin.
Leader of the qualifications like him, the snowboarder from Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare fell in the third turn of the quarter-finals of the Mont-Sainte-Anne Snowboardcross World Cup, where Grondin triumphed in the men’s category on Saturday after- noon.
To her surprise, she even received a yellow card after the incident, when if a foul were to be awarded, it was probably France’s Manon Petit Lenoir who would have deserved it.
I was surprised to have a yellow card and Manon too. But hey, it’s sport, it’s still a contact sport. It’s not me who decides. They are the judges.
Audrey McManiman, a few minutes after the race
The 28-year-old Quebecer, who had never been the subject of such a warning, accepted her share of the blame, explaining that she had “lack of rhythm” in the rollers before the third turn, which unbalanced on landing. Then, she could not dodge the French she was trying to overflow outside.
“Manon came in front of me and I couldn’t avoid her,” said the one who inherited the 16e and last place in the eliminatory table. “The snow was still a bit soft too. It’s no more my fault than his. Circumstances wanted it that way. »
McManiman made sure her opponent was uninjured before coming on and crossing the finish line in third place, long after the top two who advanced to the semi-finals.
Having set the fastest qualifying time for the first time in her career, she would obviously have liked to continue the momentum of the last few weeks, where she reached a final and two small finals.
“Not making it through to the quarter-finals is a real shame for me. I’m a little disappointed with my performance this morning. Tomorrow is left [dimanche]. I’m not stressed. It will be a better day. »
His trainer, Maëlle Ricker, reminded him that his speed on Friday had not disappeared.
“It’s not the end of the world, that’s the business,” philosophized the one who missed two months this season due to a concussion.
Before starting my day this morning, I accepted all eventualities. This is snowboardcross, anything can happen. Yes, I would have liked to be in the grand final or in the small final. But hey, it’s sport.
Audrey McManiman
Britain’s Charlotte Bankes came from behind in the final to blow the victory to French Chloé Trespeuch, Olympic vice-champion. American Lindsey Jacobellis, gold medalist at the Beijing Olympics, completed the podium on 59e of his brilliant career.
PHOTO JACQUES BOISSINOT, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Charlotte Bankes, centre, celebrates her comeback after crossing the finish line ahead of Chloe Trespeuch and Faye Gulini.
Bankes needed the inflatable structure bordering the finish area to stop his race. The 27-year-old snowboarder greeted her sixth consecutive World Cup success with tears.
“It was a tough battle,” said the 2021 world champion, who represented France at the start of her career. “That final was pretty crazy. I missed my start and focused on generating speed to come back. We could have all ended up on the ground. From there, it was necessary to give everything to the thread. The fight with the other girls is tight. I didn’t think I could win again. »
Even if his lead of 88 points over Trespeuch seems insurmountable – a victory is worth 100 points -, Bankes assured that “nothing was done” in the race for the crystal globe of the classification of the season which will be awarded after the last event of winter, Sunday.