Marion Thenault Clinches Gold in Weather Impacted Finish to the 2023/24 FIS Freestyle Aerials World Cup Season
Calgary Alberta March 10, 2024 – The curtains closed on the 2023/24 FIS Freestyle Aerials World Cup season in an unexpected manner as Marion Thenault (CAN) won gold after weather conditions in Almaty, Kazakhstan led to the cancelation of the final rounds of jumps.
The final showdown of the season was scheduled to take place with the high-flying aerial jumps at the Shymbulak resort, just outside of Almaty. However, Mother Nature had different plans, when dense cloud cover and fog descending upon the venue and the weather conditions forced organizers to rethink the schedule for the day and cancel finals. The final results were based on the scores from the qualification jumps, something that is uncommon but is accounted for in the FIS rulebook.
The unpredictable twist in the day’s schedule unfolded immediately after the qualification rounds concluded, as thick fog enveloped the aerials jumps, severely compromising visibility. Despite the competition jury’s best efforts to postpone the start and hope for a clearing, Sunday’s persistent foggy conditions ultimately led to the cancellation of the finals.
As a result, Marion Thenault’s outstanding performance in the qualification round secured her the gold medal, making her the champion of the last World Cup of the season and moving her up into third place overall for the season. Marion had fallen back in the rankings when she missed the China World Cup event after she sustained a setback in a training jump crash in Finland in December, 2023.
Other Canadian’s affected by the foggy interruption at the Shymbulak resort were Lewis Irving, Cote Pierre-Oliver, Emile Nadeau and Alexandre Duchaine who qualified for the final in 8th-11th place respectively and were disappointed not the have the chance to challenge for the podium in the final round. Duchaine won his first World Cup event in Deer Valley this season while Nadeau won his second bronze medal of his career at his home event in Lac Beauport, Quebec. Finishing outside the final in 13th place was Victor Primeau.
Duchaine now travels to Airolo, SUI to join other, junior Canadians to compete in the Europa Cup before continuing to the Junior World Championships in Valmalenco, Italy later this month. The rest of the team will take a well-deserved break before resuming their preparations for the 2025 World Championships and the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
