After a productive week of training on the new Olympic Livigno Aerial site, Canada’s aerial team made the short trip to Engadin, Switzerland, to take on their competitors at the 2025 FIS Freestyle World Championships. Kicking off the competition with the team event, the trio of Lewis Irving, Alexandre Duchaine, and Marion Thénault put down strong jumps but faced challenges on landings, ultimately finishing in 5th place.
Despite some tough breaks, the Canadian squad showed their world-class potential, delivering impressive jumps and solid execution. The competition featured a strong field of nations, with every team pushing the limits in pursuit of the podium.
“The team event was an exciting way to start the World Championships,” said Freestyle Canada High Performance Director Todd Allison. “We had some great takeoffs, but unfortunately, a few rough landings cost us today. Still, there’s a lot to build on as we head into the individual events.”
The team event was followed by the individual competition. In the qualifying round, Marion Thénault delivered the best jump of her career, a high-scoring full-full-full, finishing nearly 25 points ahead of the second-place skier. She maintained her dominance in the first final (F1), once again posting the top score to advance to the Superfinal in first place. In the Superfinal, she was slightly off on her landing and dragged a hand. The judges were harsh, and despite expectations that she had secured a podium spot, she finished in 5th place.
On the men’s side, three of four Canadian men advanced to finals: Alexandre Duchaine, Lewis Irving, and Victor Primeau. Primeau, in his World Championships debut, placed 8th. Irving attempted his second-ever five-twisting triple flip but did not stick the landing and finished in 11th place. The standout performance came from Duchaine, who qualified 6th in F1 and finished just off the podium in 4th place in a highly competitive final.
This World Championships served as a preview of the level of competition expected at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, which will take place in the next valley, in Livigno, Italy. The team will take a few weeks off before resuming dryland and trampoline training in preparation for the Games.
Other Canadian results included Miha Fontaine (Men’s 13th) and Charlie Fontaine (Women’s 18th).
