Vancouver, March 19, 2023 – Is there a better place to end the season than on a podium? For Marion Thénault and Émile Nadeau, definitely not! The two earned themselves bronze medals at the World Cup Aerials Finals in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Thénault gave it her all in the qualifying round on Sunday, and was provisionally placed second early in the day. Despite a trickier jump in the first final that earned her 81.07 points and the ranking of sixth in the round, she bounced back in the super final with a score of 93.66 – good enough for third place, and her fifth medal of the season.
“I was really happy with my jumps today (Sunday)! I’ve had some tough moments this season, so I’m really proud to finish on a high note,” said Thénault, who left Almaty with a win last year.
Australia’s Laura Peel grabbed the gold with 110.36 points, while her teammate Danielle Scott skied to silver with 97.99 points.
Preparing for the event made for a challenging week for athletes getting ready to wrap up the season. The run’s location at high altitude, as well as frequent cloud-cover forced the cancellation of some training sessions; competitors also had to adapt to the fast Kazakh track.
“I really wanted to finish on the podium, and finish strong. It’s motivating for the future, because I did well and I know I can do even better. There’s still a part of me that’s sad because I love jumping and we won’t have a competition for a while, but it’s also important to rest,” added the athlete who finished third in the overall World Cup standings in the discipline. Thénault has 350 points, 12 behind second place Laura Peel.
The crystal globe was won by Danielle Scott with 462 points.
While Marion Thénault found herself on the World Cup podium for the seventh time in her career, today’s podium finish was a first for Émile Nadeau.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time, I’ve often thought about it,” admitted the skier from Prévost, Quebec. The judges gave him a score of 96.83 in the super-final.
Swiss nationals Pirmin Werner and Noe Roth snuck past Nadeau, making most of the podium a Swiss affair; Werner won with 123.00 points, followed by Roth with 118.55 points.
“It’s fun to finish on a positive note. After a tough week of training, I didn’t think this was possible! It shows me that I’m capable of making a podium and it’s really good for my confidence,” added 19-year-old Nadeau, who had not made it to a super final this season.
Miha Fontaine (Lac-Beauport, QC) also competed in the first final on Sunday and finished ninth, while Alexandre Duchaine (Quebec City, QC.) finished 14th in the qualifying round.
Sixth in the final standings led by Switzerland’s Noe Roth, Duchaine ends the season as Canada’s highest-ranked skier of the 2022-2023 season.
