The Quebec and Eastern regions will be represented by 15 athletes at the PyeongChang Olympics in two weeks.
Thelast selections made official on Monday were those of two girls from Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, namely Anne-Marie Comeau, cross-country skiing, and Laurence St-Germain, alpine skiing.
With Alex Harvey, Canada’s top medalist in cross-country skiing, Saint-Ferréol, a village of some 3,300 at the foot of Mont-Sainte-Anne, on the Côte-de-Beaupré, is home to three athletes during the year. will perform at the big sporting event presented from February 9 to 25, in South Korea.
Along with veterans Harvey, Marie-Philip Poulin (hockey) and Audrey Robichaud (ski moguls), who are in their third participation in the five-ring high mass, eight local recruits will live their Olympic baptism.
In addition to Comeau and St-Germain, Lewis Irving (ski jumping), Laurie Blouin (snowboard slopestyle), Anne-Renée Desbiens (hockey), Laurent Dubreuil (long-distance skating), Alexandre St-Jean (long-distance skating) and Charlie Bilodeau ( figure skating) will all be at their first experience.
Note that of these 15 athletes in the Sun’s territory , five are in one of the freestyle disciplines: Robichaud, Irving, Alex Beaulieu-Marchand (slopestyle), Kim Lamarre (slopestyle) and Philippe Marquis (moguls) . An undeniable strength of the region for a long time.
Lamarre, bronze in 2014, and Poulin, gold in 2010 and 2014, are the only two medalists in the delegation.
We must not forget Adam Lamhamedi who will represent Morocco in downhill skiing at the Olympics for a second time.
Comeau, the surprise
Nevertheless, the most surprising story belongs handsomely to Comeau. The fairy tale continues for one who had abandoned the cross-country skiing competition for two years before climbing twice on the podium at the Canadian team’s Olympic Trials, in her backyard, at Mont-Sainte-Anne, early January.
“I’m still on my little cloud. This is motivating not only for these Games, but also for the future, “commented Monday this 21-year-old small-size nature force, in a statement issued by Laval University’s Rouge et Or.
Because the student in accounting has skyrocketed especially the circuits of civil and university running in recent years, on track, on road or in nature (cross-country). Its first cross-country skiing competition in two years took place last December in Western Canada.
Participating in four world junior cross-country skiing championships, from 2012 to 2015, Comeau never took the start of a World Cup event. Which makes her realistic about her results at the Olympics. “I may not be ready to go to the Olympics globally,” she admitted last week.
“I will not finish ahead. But just to live this experience and to see others better than me will be a motivation for the future. I will not have a goal other than to give my best, to follow as much as possible and to make the most of it. ”
The expectations are much higher for a Harvey in the cross-country ski trails or a Poulin on the rink.
We also hope for a medal from one of our acrobatic skiers, although Marquis suffers from a ligament tear in the knee and his presence at the start of the Olympic moguls event is not yet assured.
The long-skater trio of Dubreuil, St-Jean and Alex Boisvert-Lacroix also hopes to see at least one of the group climb onto the podium.