Laurence St-Germain was convinced that she could not qualify for the second round of the Zagreb slalom on Wednesday. She had even picked up boots and a coat in the direction of her hotel. One of the team’s technicians, however, suggested that he stay, just in case. Qualified, it is she who will have finally been the best of the second round, to finish 14e.
Part 19eSt-Germain had to wait a long time at the bottom of the piste before knowing if a skier was going to dislodge her from the 30e and last place giving access to the second round. She had little hope considering her first run. “I arrived downstairs extremely disappointed,” she says, barely back in her hotel room.
The track was rough in Croatia. The conditions were at the limit of practicable. “It was soup,” says the Quebecer. According to her, the organizers worked miracles given the temperature. Since their arrival in Croatia, the mercury has fluctuated between 10 and 13 degrees Celsius. Softened, the track had collapsed at certain points of the course, leaving several holes. It almost caused the loss of St-Germain.
The 28-year-old rocketed off the blocks, but one of her skis went into a hole midway through. His shin guards got stuck together due to the loss of balance, making the turn impossible. She gave herself a push to come back up and complete the course, but she crossed the wire several seconds behind.
Despite the number of skiers after her, St-Germain managed to qualify thanks to the conditions, she believes. Her pursuers could not express themselves fully and sufficiently to overtake her, as the track became more and more difficult to tame.
Once qualified, she at least had the privilege of skiing on a piste still spared, since she was the first to start. “I wanted to make the most of it. »
She bit between each pole and descended the slope in 47.15 seconds, the fastest time of the second run. “It really was a strange day. […] I really didn’t expect to win the second run. I knew she was going to be good, but not at all that she was that good. »
Had it not been for his collision in the first moto, St-Germain had what it took to make it into the top 10. “I just have to remember that downhill skiing is two runs,” she jokes.
The middle
St-Germain is not having a season that lives up to its expectations. She has completed only three of her six races. “I will take this 14e square. It feels good,” she says.
Nevertheless, she remains optimistic, because she knows that her statistics do not reflect her abilities. She also knows how to put her finger on what’s wrong when she gets less good results.
“At Semmering, I left like a chicken and I attacked like crazy,” she says, lucid, about the previous World Cup.
She works precisely to find the balance. She must attack, but not too much. Be relaxed, but just enough.
“I think I could have pushed a bit more, but the races where I pushed too hard, I made mistakes,” she said. However, she admits that she is proud to have “skied cleanly” and to have made “few glaring mistakes. »
In Zagreb, his plan was to ski well in the early gates to get pace all the way down. “I executed my plan well,” she thinks.
A personal brand for Smart
Her friend and teammate Amelia Smart will remember this day for a long time. The athlete from British Columbia placed eighth thanks to two excellent runs.
It is his career-best World Cup result. “She really skied with finesse, especially the last section where there were big holes,” said St-Germain of the 24-year-old skier.
The other Canadian, Ali Nullmeyer, skied her first run with confidence. She was provisionally in fifth place. However, she was also a victim of the conditions, straddling her mid-race.
Despite everything, as usual, St-Germain remains optimistic: “We really have a good team. I think we can be the three in the top 10. »