(Sportcom) – Tormented by snow conditions, Marie-Michèle Gagnon finished 28thand rank of the downhill alpine skiing event on Saturday at the World Cup in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
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The Quebecer is not satisfied with this result, but she is hopeful of recovering quickly.
The conditions were therefore difficult in Italy according to Gagnon, she who, by her own admission, shows less confidence when the track is hard, as it was the case on Saturday.
“It’s not a very good performance, I’m a little disappointed with what I did today. Since the beginning of the week, I had difficulty with the snow conditions, it was really different last year. The snow is icy and polished. I’m having trouble in these conditions, but I’m going to work to improve that aspect of my skiing,” mentioned the one who finished the course in 1 minute 8.65 seconds (+1.67 seconds).
Italian Sofia Goggia took the top step of the podium in front of her supporters, stopping the clock at 1 minute 6.98 seconds. Austrian Ramona Siebenhofer (+0.20 seconds) and Czech Ester Ledecka (+0.23 seconds) complete the podium in order.
Getting back to super-G
Gagnon will be able to make people forget this performance on Sunday when she takes the start of the super-G. The Quebecer intends to work twice as hard to obtain a better result.
“I will recover, I want to learn from my mistakes and do my lessons. I wouldn’t say it will be revenge, but I want to get a better result for sure. I spoke with my coach and we will try different strategies for the super-G.
On Friday, the 32-year-old athlete officially learned that she would be participating in her third Olympic Games in a few weeks in Beijing. An announcement that greatly delighted the main interested party.
“I’ve known for a long time that I was qualified, but it’s always good to make it official. I will try hard to stay healthy until the Games where my only goal will be to perform well for myself and be proud of myself,” she concluded.