Impeccable during each of her two outings on the track, Canadian Valérie Grenier signed the first victory of her career in the Women’s Alpine Skiing World Cup on Saturday in the giant slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.
The 26-year-old native of St-Isidore, Ontario, dominated each of the two runs to complete the event with a cumulative time of one minute 55.01 seconds.
Grenier, for whom it was also a first career World Cup podium, beat Italian Marta Bassino by 37 hundredths of a second. The Slovak Petra Vlhova completed the podium, 40 hundredths of a second behind the Canadian.
Grenier’s teammates gathered around her in the finish area to celebrate the triumph.
“It’s an incredible feeling. I’ve been waiting for this day for so long, it’s a dream come true,” said Grenier in the official statement from Alpine Canada.
“I’m proud that I was able to hold on in the second run and find a way to win after winning the first run. I thought I would be under a lot of pressure, but I felt really calm and confident. I’m so happy to have our team here. It was really fun to see them at the finish and celebrate with them,” added the Ontarian.
In her previous 89 career runs on the women’s World Cup circuit, Grenier had finished fourth on two occasions, including almost to the day a year ago in a giant slalom on the same course.
Grenier also became the first Canadian skier to win a World Cup giant slalom since Kathy Kreiner in 1974. Two years later, at the Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria, Kreiner won the gold medal in giant slalom.
Grenier won three medals — a gold, a silver and a bronze — at the World Junior Championships between 2015 and 2016. But she broke her tibia and fibula bones in her lower leg right in 2019.
“I suffered four fractures and it took a long time for it to heal. So, since the injury, I focus more on giant slalom,” explained Grenier.
“I feel like everything has finally fallen into place and I’m skiing to the best of my abilities,” she added.
Karin Harjo, head coach of the Canadian women’s team, was very proud of Grenier.
“It’s an incredible feat that is really well deserved for the great efforts put in throughout his career. For the team, it shows the great vitality we have, the girls push each other, and they really support each other. Together we work hard, play hard, have fun and good things happen. »
A broken streak
Grenier also ended the five-game winning streak of American Mikaela Shiffrin, who was the focus of attention for her pursuit of the record for most career triumphs on the Ski World Cup circuit. female alpine.
Shiffrin, who finished tied for sixth with France’s Coralie Frasse Sombet, remains at 81 wins, one shy of compatriot Lindsey Vonn, who tops the all-time women’s rankings.
Shiffrin will have another opportunity to equal that mark on Sunday, in another giant slalom at the same location.
“I don’t mind talking about it and I’m not tired of it. I figure that’s how it is,” said Shiffrin, who finished 1.33 seconds behind Grenier.
“Everyone is going to say ‘You have a chance of winning an 82e race and tie the record” in every race, until the day I succeed — if I succeed. »
“So it doesn’t really make a difference. I always want to go on the track and offer my best skiing every day. And today was the best I could do. But maybe I can make some improvements for tomorrow,” added Shiffrin, who has already won seven races since the start of the season.