When Arnaud Gaudet runs down the track, it’s with confidence, nothing seems to shake him. The athletes who participate in the Olympic and Paralympic Games are not superheroes who possess “superpowers”, but they all have something in common: a specific quality or strength that makes them ordinary “Gold” athletes and, above all, , Olympians and Paralympians.
Posted at 1:42 p.m.
When Arnaud Gaudet runs down the track, it’s with confidence, nothing seems to shake him. The youngest snowboarder on the Canadian Alpine Snowboarding Team, he has everything he needs to become one of the best in the world. A dream comes true with the Beijing Olympics. And the sequel may even bode even better!
At only 21 years old, Arnaud Gaudet is playing his fifth full season in the World Cup. Whether on or off the course, he displays the confidence of a veteran. A predominant aspect of his personality that is not new, as his father and trainer Patrik Gaudet tells us.
“The great strength of Arnaud, I think that’s it. He is very calm and very, very confident. It started very early! When I was 12, I gave him my board to be a forerunner in a Nor-Am competition and he had an excellent time, he recalls. The board was huge and he was very small. Everyone thought he wouldn’t be able to and he slammed it like a knife through butter. […] He was always extremely confident. There is no doubt in his head. »
In an interview, the young man from Montcalm lived up to that reputation. He shows a relaxed air, sure of himself, and his answers reveal a certain maturity having been built through good and bad times.
” [Dans la vie] you have to be patient, but you have to work for it to happen”, he mentions to comment on his progress which led him to the podium of the Junior World Championships in Lachtal (Austria), in December 2020.
In his fifth and last appearance at the 20 and under worlds, Gaudet obtained a first medal at this event by placing third in the parallel giant slalom.
“He finally managed to make his podium! We thought that would never happen, especially after being eliminated in slalom the day before. […] He managed to do what we had been waiting for since he was 15,” proudly mentions Patrik about this medal won with a lead of 2 hundredths of a second over Russian Vladimir Pnev in the small final.
“It was almost a surprise! When I finished my race, I didn’t think I had it and it was quite a long time before I got the official result, continues the athlete with a smile on his face. I didn’t expect it, but I’m very happy to have finished [ma carrière junior] with a medal. »
Barely a few weeks later, the Quebecer continued by achieving the best performance of his career among seniors, this time in slalom, finishing sixth in Moscow.
“It gave me a boost for the rest of the season. The top-8 is a big step to take. There, it’s not fair to get into the finals, it’s to pass one more round and that proves that I have my place there, that I can make it to the podium, “says the one who completed the campaign. 2020-2021 taking the 10and slalom rank in Berchtesgaden (Germany).
In search of constancy
If he says he is satisfied with his performance in slalom, his favorite discipline for a few years already, Arnaud Gaudet is much harder on himself when the time comes to tackle his parallel giant slalom outings, the only alpine event on the Olympic program since 2018.
“I haven’t had a great season. [l’année dernière]. I’m a little disappointed with my performance. I would have liked to be able to make finals and be able ride to my full potential. Even in training, it was more difficult”, mentions the one who has emphasized this facet in training over the past few months.
This action is part of the goal of being more consistent in all facets of his sport, but also in view of the Olympic Games, of course. “Of course it’s a shame that there is no slalom, but we did camps in GS (giant slalom) and we see improvements”, reports the one who points to 30and rank in the world rankings since the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
“It’s very technical, there are a lot of lines [de tracés] and you have to put the pressure in the right place [sur la planche]. We’re still working on that and we’re heading in the right direction. »
But as the father reminds us, the results are at stake well beyond training and preparation. In a discipline where the imponderables are more than numerous, the management of the material becomes essential and it is sometimes necessary to be bold to achieve its ends. Exactly what Arnaud is able to do in slalom and which he learns to transpose into a “giant”.
“It’s a combination of circumstances, winning a race. We can be as prepared as we want, it remains a very open environment. There are many factors to consider and find the right adjustments. […] I think he could be very strong in both [épreuves]. In slalom, he goes beyond the limits, which is what allows him to be successful. He takes risks and when it passes, it’s fast! That’s what you have to try to do. »
And why not in Beijing?
“Some people want to go to the Olympics just to participate and others go there to win. Me, my goal is to win”, confirms Arnaud Gaudet, without any hesitation.
It’s only a beginning…
Snowboarding is a real family affair for the Gaudets. After enjoying a career as an athlete that led him to a few starts on the continental circuit in the early 2000s, Patrik Gaudet passed on his love for this sport to his three sons.
In addition to Arnaud, Émile and Henri are also followers. The former is pursuing a career at the competitive level in Nor-Am after a one-year hiatus, while the latter is enjoying the sport for fun.
“It’s pretty strong with us! says Arnaud, who says he is happy to be able to share this passion with those close to him.
And the least we can say is that all of them contributed, in their own way, to this first Olympic participation of the youngest of the family. The sacrifices have been many over the past few years and the pandemic has not made the task any easier, so much so that Patrik and Arnaud had to spend the entire last season in a recreational vehicle traveling around Europe.
However, the duo will be separated for the Beijing Games, where coaches Hannes Mutschlechner and Ingemar Walder will lead the Canadian delegation. This situation will be in a way a harbinger of what awaits “son”, who will strike out on his own sooner rather than later.
“In a few years, I won’t need to be there for him anymore. [Arnaud]. The greatest runners are on their own and do their own thing,” remarks Patrik, citing veteran Jasey-Jay Anderson as an example.
“We don’t get stubborn with him, he knows what he’s doing and where he’s going! »
Anderson, 46, was aiming for a seventh consecutive Olympic appearance in Beijing, but he will miss a first meeting since the Nagano Games in 1998. There will still be a bit of him in the Chinese capital on February 8 next.
“The Olympics are often an athlete’s first dream. For me, it started in 2010, when Jasey-Jay won gold, says Arnaud Gaudet. I had watched the whole race and thought that one day it would be me. […] The higher you go in the sport, the more it becomes true and I’m finally there. »
One thing is certain, it is not the ambition that is lacking in Arnaud Gaudet, he who sees big for the rest of his career. In his sport, the best snowboarders often hit their peak in their late thirties, so he knows the best is yet to come.
Whether in Beijing or in any other competition, he will always want to be the fastest on the track.
“Arnaud, he is aware that it’s not just the Games. He also wants to be a World Cup or World Championship champion and show that he is capable of being even more powerful and very consistent. Being the best of a season is something and that’s where he wants to go,” concludes Patrik Gaudet.