Valérie Grenier is not the type to settle on the track. This proves that his 23rd place in Super-G on Sunday at the World Cup in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, was far from exhausted. And that, even if this speed test is by no means his specialty.
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“I did some good and not so good things on the track today. I’d like to say that’s a satisfying achievement, but it’s not. I know I can be much better”, dropped the best Canadian of the day with a time of 1:24.85 minutes.
As far as improvement potential is concerned, the 26-year-old was certain: she has to be more dynamic at the next opportunity if she wants to climb up the rankings. Even more so when all the elements come together to offer a service that meets their expectations.
“I’m particularly disappointed with a couple of sections where I think I could have been a lot more active and cleaner at the start of the corners,” she explained. I had no control and it didn’t go as I would have liked, especially since the course was super nice and the conditions were perfect.”
However, all is not black for Grenier, she was more self-indulgent at the end of her phone interview with Sportcom. who recently won the first World Cup of her career in giant slalom from Kranjska Gora. On Sunday, she added 8 points to her season total.
“It’s always good to finish in the points, even if it’s not my best skiing and it’s not my specialty. I rarely train at high speed, so it’s another step in the right direction. We keep gaining experience and gaining self-confidence.”
At the top of the overall standings, Norway’s Ragnhild Mowinckel secured her first win of the season with a time of 1:23.22 minutes. Austria’s Cornelia Hütter (+0.30s) was decorated with silver, while Italy’s Marta Bassino (+0.47s) completed the podium.
Also in action on Sunday, Marie-Michèle Gagnon was unable to finish her race. The Lac-Etchemin skier, who suffered a fall on Friday, skipped the second run of the competition on Saturday before returning to the course 24 hours later despite the bruises.
For his part, Simon Fournier was in Austria, where he took part in the World Cup slalom in Kitzbühel. However, the Montreal native was unable to complete the first set.
Canada national team members will be busy over the next week in preparation for the World Championships in Courchevel and Meribel, taking place in France from February 6th to 19th.
Valérie Grenier will start in the giant slalom at Kronplatz (Austria) on Tuesday and Wednesday, while her teammate Laurence St-Germain will start in the slalom at Spindleruv Mlyn in the Czech Republic next weekend.