A day on a roller coaster

A day on a roller coaster

Miha Fontaine had a roller-coaster day ending with her best career result at the Freestyle World Cup in relay yesterday.

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After a jump he didn’t like in qualifying and feared he wouldn’t get his ticket to the finals, Fontaine got a little meeting with his trainer and his father at the front.

“I’m very happy because Miha was in a very down mood after qualifying and he ended his day very high with the best performance of his career,” said Team Canada head coach Jeff Bean. Miha wasn’t happy, he was grumbling, his confidence was low and he had his boots off because he didn’t think he was going to pass. me and nick [Nicolas Fontaine], he was served a little speech to cheer him up. »

Fontaine got the message. In the final he landed his best jump of the weekend and one of the best of his career to secure his ticket to the Superfinal, which brings together the top six jumpers. Second after the finals, he finished the competition in fifth place, surpassing his successful sixth place finish last year at Deer Valley.

“Miha had an incredible jump,” said Bean. He regained a positive state of mind and he puffed up his chest. Trust is very important in our sport. Because Miha is so mature, I sometimes forget he’s only 19 and treat him like a veteran because of the Olympic experience. »

Good memories

Fontaine was beaming at the end of the competition.

“In the final I landed one of my best jumps ever,” said the Beijing Olympic champion in mixed. In the Superfinal it was special to land my jump, even if it wasn’t perfect as it was only my third attempt on snow. »

“Because I started penultimate, I knew that I would need an almost perfect jump to get on the podium due to the performance of my opponents,” the 19-year-old jumper continued. There was something special about jumping home. The snow almost vibrated when we landed. I often come into contact with those present and it’s like I know the audience. »

Nicolas Fontaine fondly recalled watching his son and the other young guns on the Canada team compete with the international elite.

“It reminds me of the World Championships in Tremblant when I was one of the local favourites,” he said. It’s a whole different pressure and it’s not obvious. Our youngsters are even more local as they live two minutes from the train station. It is a good lesson for the future because we are at the beginning. »

Second Final

Alexandre Duchaine, a friend of Fontaine’s since he was in elementary school, did very well with a fourth place finish. He was stripped of his first podium of his career when Switzerland’s Noe Roth, who started last, landed a jump that earned him the gold medal.

“It’s not disappointing, but it’s so close,” the author said of a 10th place finish on Saturday. I will have it next time. This is a second 4th place finish after Ruka’s earlier in the season. »

“Because I used a lower difficulty jump in the Superfinal, it’s difficult to get on the podium,” added Duchaine, who will be looking to defend his Canadian Championship title next Saturday. I was already happy on Saturday to have reached the final and was more relaxed today [hier]. »

Irving misses the Superfinals

Lewis Irving finished in eighth place.

“I was a bit lacking in rotation and couldn’t land my jump in the final,” explained the creator of fifth place the day before. It’s hard not to have gotten the results you want this weekend, but I’ll give myself five minutes to live with my disappointment before having fun with my friends. The overall standings are so close that anything is still possible with several races on the program. »

The World Cup returns to the relay in 2024

The Freestyle World Cup returns to the relay for the third straight year next season.

The International Ski Federation (FIS) confirmed the news to the organizers yesterday to the delight of Nicolas Fontaine, who is largely responsible for this strong comeback of Canadian freestyle jumping.

“We go there every year, but we want to do it again every year,” said the Canada team’s assistant coach. We have proven that we are capable of presenting a World Cup event. Last year the World Cup seemed like a provincial competition with health restrictions and a lack of spectators. This year was a real World Cup. »

Will the relay host two stages of the World Cup like this year or just one like the big comeback in 2022?

“It’s two stages more expensive and depends on the subsidy,” Fontaine explained, but we can repeat it and I think that’s the wish of the FIS. We held a three-day event with Friday’s Community Day, where 400 youth from the Montagnac school attended a training session. In the future we could even present three competitions with the team event and the synchro. »

dream moments

Fontaine experienced a very emotional weekend with the presence of Miha and Charlie.

“I couldn’t have imagined my two children at the World Cup,” he said. could not have been better. For the Superfinal I took off my coach’s walkie-talkie as I didn’t have an athlete and found myself as a father at the end of the course. And seeing Charlie smile after his jump was worth all the gold in the world. »

Charlie was able to fully enjoy her first experience despite not qualifying for the finals.

Like two teammates, Fontaine capitalized on Canada’s additional host title for her World Cup debut.

“It was so much fun,” she said. The mood was super good. The stress wasn’t high. I was just having fun. On Saturday I was a little disappointed not to have landed my jump. I’m so happy I landed my jump today [hier]. I didn’t make it to the final but it’s like I won in my heart. »

“It was really fun attending the same event as my brother,” she added. Normally we only see our jumps via video on the iPad. We were really impressed with each other. »