(Sportcom) – Olivier Léveillé ended his first senior world championship with a 23rd place finish in Sunday’s 50km classic mass start in Slovenia. The 21-year-old cross-country skier signed his best individual result in Planica after finishing 43rd in the skiathlon and 28th in the 15 km free run.
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It was only the second start of his career at a 50K event. Léveillé finished 27th in the 50km freestyle event at the Beijing Olympics last winter.
On Sunday he experienced a slight drop in speed after about ten kilometers and was back on form a few minutes later. Halfway through, the Sherbrooke resident began to climb up the standings as the gaps between riders widened. He kept the pace and completed the course in 2h 5m 55s, 4m 24.8s behind the winner, Norwegian Paal Golberg.
“I am very happy with my race. It was only my second 50k so I didn’t have high expectations. Above all, I wanted to have fun! There was a great fight for 20th place and I turned around. The conditions were good and my skis were excellent,” summarized Léveillé.
As is often the case at long distances, his biggest challenge was maintaining his strength over the course of the race.
“I always have to prepare well, especially when it comes to my diet. After my low energy I was afraid I had gone too fast. I’m able to sustain a big effort for a long time, but it takes a lot of energy and I can use up my reserves quickly. I have to be able to stay consistent and that’s what I did today [dimanche]added Leveille.
His compatriot Antoine Cyr, with whom he finished fifth in the 4×10 km relay on Friday, crossed the finish line on Sunday as the 36th cross-country skier. He recorded a time of 2 hours 10 minutes 26.8 seconds (+8 minutes and 56.6 seconds).
Paal Golberg finished ahead of Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (+1 second), also from Norway, and the Swede William Poromaa (+1.2 seconds).
The gold medalist finishes the world championships with three world titles and a silver medal in the classic sprint. Klaebo is not to be outdone with a harvest of three gold medals and two silver medals.
Olivier Léveillé wants to build on this first experience at the Senior World Championships. The top 5 achieved in the relay are particularly promising for the young Canadian team.
“It’s already a lot bigger than a World Cup! I didn’t think it would be this big. Everyone tries to be at the top of their game. The best in the world are not in the training phase, they arrive very well prepared and that increases the caliber. The atmosphere is also an extra tick!”
He also recalls that the more he races, the better he performs on the tracks. Pleased with his results, he will be back in action next week at the World Cup in Oslo, Norway.
Antoine Cyr holds his head up
Cyr was disappointed with his performance today in Slovenia. The Gatineau native was at times in the top 15 cross-country skiers and after halftime, at around 30 kilometers, he began to fall back in the overall standings.
“It’s disappointing, but that’s life. You have to have bad ones to appreciate the good ones, Cyr shared. I felt good for a while and I find that encouraging. Maybe I tried a little too hard to hold onto the lead and hit a wall. I have no regrets about how I raced.
The energy was gone and the final 20 kilometers were particularly challenging, but the Quebecer was looking to come full circle in his second World Senior Championship. Cyr makes no secret of it: his individual results in Planica have made him hungry in the last few days. Unlucky in his first events, the performances signed in those of the team gave him a smile.
“I wanted to aim higher at the individual. I am extremely proud of the team results! Thanks to these events, I can leave the World Championship with a green tick. I’m proud of my teammates and how I raced back then, but I’m still leaving hungry. I know I can do better.”
Despite this disappointment, the 24-year-old cross-country skier keeps his nerve and looks back to the last World Cups. He’s hoping to recover and finish a top-10 at the circuit, as he has done three times this season.