Updated yesterday at 11:45 p.m.
(Beijing) Quebecer Laurie Blouin did not win a second Olympic medal, but the final of the acrobatic descent (slopestyle) gave way to a beautiful moment of sport. At the end of the competition, the 12 finalists – winners and losers – came together to hug, congratulate and celebrate.
Laurie Blouin then appeared in front of the media, a little disappointed with her performance. “I live full of emotions. I’m happy, I really wasn’t far. But I [commis] small mistakes that [m’ont coûté] a few points,” explained the PyeongChang Games silver medalist.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Laurie Blouin had 81.41 points in her third and final decent, good for 4and square.
The Stoneham snowboarder agreed that a fourth-place finish was particularly tough to take. She was aiming for a medal. “It’s harder than a 6and or a 7and place because you have just a few points below [d’un podium] she said, at the Genting terrain park. She finished 2.73 points from a bronze medal.
Each participant completed three runs; the best of the three was selected to establish the final classification. Before taking the start of her last run, Laurie Blouin was in fourth place. She still believed that anything was possible.
However, she started on a ramp and her board took a little too much angle. Immediately, she knew that a medal had just escaped her.
PHOTO GREGORY BULL, ASSOCIATED PRESS
New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott won gold in the slopestyle event at the Beijing Games.
The Quebecer still stayed at the bottom of the track with all her comrades to watch the end of the competition. The final competitor, New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, performed a breathtaking jump (a back somersault with three twists) and an astonishing height. The 20-year-old, who finished first in qualifying, won gold on her third run. American Julia Marino (a good friend of Laurie Blouin) and Australian Tess Coady completed the podium.
A machine “
“Zoi is a machine. She is really good. She’s a good rider commented Laurie Blouin. “His last jump was crazy. She went high and I don’t know how she landed. It was crazy to watch. »
The 12 competitors then threw themselves on the young snowboarder who was arriving at the bottom of the track. They all hugged.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Laurie Blouin
That’s it, the vibes around the snowboard. We’re all friends. Outside of competitions, we stick together. That’s the fun in our sport. Yes, we compete against each other, but we also encourage each other. There is a nice atmosphere.
Laurie Blouin
The athlete did not let herself be demoralized by the day which did not go exactly as she wished. “It was a nasty beautiful day and we showed the world what women’s snowboarding is all about,” she said under blue skies and a day – finally! – less windy.
Laurie Blouin must now focus on her next event, the big jump (big air). Qualifying will take place on February 14, in town, at the former Shougang Industrial Complex.