(Killington) Damien Charette has never seen his girlfriend Valérie Grenier ski in person. Despite the almost zero visibility, he thought it was the big day at the Killington World Cup on Saturday.
The Franco-Ontarian has been dating the skier since the winter of 2019, shortly after she broke her leg to pieces during the World Championships in Sweden.
Descended from L’Orignal, in Eastern Ontario, after having made a detour through Montreal to take a PCR test, he was in the stands surrounded by a few thousand spectators. He was accompanying his mother-in-law, Nathalie Bourdon-Grenier, who had just arrived from Florida.
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“We came in 2019 to see her teammates because Val was injured,” said Damien Charette on Saturday. This is the first time I could see her. ”
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Damien Charette and the mother of the skier, Nathalie Bourdon-Grenier.
Only it was very windy. So much so that the race was canceled after the passage of the first nine skiers. Bib 21, Valérie Grenier was never able to take the start.
After freezing at the top for about 30 minutes, she raced down the Superstar piste in free skiing, frankly disappointed with the turn of events after her emotional seventh place at the opening World Cup in Sölden, a few years ago. more than a month.
I couldn’t wait to do the race, I was really ready to do it, he said a little later from his hotel. Since she had started, I told myself that everything was correct, that it would work. When I came down the track, I saw that it was still in good condition. It’s boring, but these are things you can’t control. On to the next one.
Valerie Grenier
The 25-year-old skier stormed past the finish area. Her boyfriend and her mother, followed by a Radio-Canada cameraman for an Olympic portrait, missed her. After two calls, three texts and a few convolutions through the crowd, they agreed it would be easier to meet her at the hotel.
“Every time we go see Val, we fight over who’s going to give him a hug first!” »Said Nathalie Bourdon-Grenier with a wink. The day before at the hotel, it was she who had obtained the privilege.
“Today is me! »Damien promised, laughing. A former hockey player, he played three years in Junior A with the Hawkesbury Hawks. He is now an assistant coach for the training where Bob Hartley, a friend of his father, made his debut as a coach.
“I’m from Hawkesbury, right next to L’Orignal,” he said. We went to high school together, his brother Francis, Valérie and me. When she was injured, she was home more often. We started talking to each other. ”
He therefore witnessed his long rehabilitation after his terrible fall in 2019, which left him with a quadruple fracture of his leg. The injury required two operations.
“She made her return to the snow on December 24 with Erik and Stefan Guay in Mont-Tremblant,” he recalled. They really encouraged her. They told him it was normal for it to take time. To make sure she didn’t come back until she was ready. If you rush too much, this is where you can hurt yourself again. ”
Grenier therefore missed the entire 2019-20 season. Already tested for three years by a painful shin compartment syndrome, she was never discouraged.
“She’s very strong,” said her mother, who had the chance to follow her daughter to the Olympics and the World Cup.
His comeback was slow last winter. After a summer of training where she multiplied back and forth between L’Original, Montreal and Guay’s gym in her barn in Mont-Tremblant, Grenier was ready to move up a gear.
On 23 October, on the Sölden glacier, she finished seventh, her best ever result in giant slalom. At the same time, she secured her place at the Beijing Olympics.
“I was at home in my bed, looking on the iPad and screaming! told Mme Bourdon-Grenier. I was so happy. ”
” Oh my God, it feels so good! added Damien Charette. It rewards all his hard work this summer, all his training, all the travel between Montreal, Tremblant and home. It paid off. ”
At the PyeongChang Olympics in 2018, the former world junior downhill champion landed the best Canadian result with a sixth place in the super combined.
This event combining a downhill and slalom round will not be on the menu for her in Beijing, however. His fall at the Worlds has left its mark. Paralyzed by fear, she did not return to the speed disciplines in competition. She won’t be in Lake Louise next week.
Her coach, Italian Laurent Pratz, deemed it preferable for her to focus on the giant for the time being. Women’s team head coach Manuel Gamper would have liked her to line up for the two scheduled super-Gs in St. Moritz next month. But it no longer seems in the boxes. So it might be Cortina in February.
Gamper wants his protégé to be able to compete in the super-G at the Beijing Olympics. He sees her as a potential contender on this very steep course that no World Cup rider has yet experienced.
“To me, Val is an incredible super-G skier. It’s a very demanding track and she likes it. She also likes very large events. If we manage to prepare her well, with a few races, I think she can think of a medal on a given day. […]. She loves big challenges. The goal must certainly be a medal. ”
The next giant slalom is scheduled for December 28 in Lienz, Austria. After a week of rest at home, Grenier will return to Europe to increase her training volume.
In the meantime, with her boyfriend and her mother, she will take advantage of a rare opportunity to support Laurence St-Germain and her other teammates during Sunday’s slalom.