Valérie Grenier broke a nearly 50-year drought by giving Canada its first giant slalom gold medal since Kathy Kreiner's 1974 victory in Pronften, Germany.
On Saturday at Kranjska Dora in Slovenia, Grenier made it big to sign his first podium and his first career victory. She won both sets and snapped the five-game winning streak of American Mikaela Shiffrin who is now just one win away from equaling the mark of 82 held by her compatriot Lindsay Vonn.
“I'm freaking out,” said Grenier, who won his first victory in his 90th World Cup start. It's crazy. I am extremely happy. This first career podium, I've been waiting for it for a while. It feels so good and it takes a weight off your shoulders.”
With a time of 1 min 55 s 01, Grenier beat the Italian Marta Bassino by 0 s 37 and the Slovak Petra Vhola by 0 s 40. The first signed a 7th consecutive podium and the second a 7th podium this year.
Relaxed atmosphere
First at the end of the first run, the Franco-Ontarian was the last to start the second run. Was she nervous about finally getting on the podium?
“I thought I was going to be really stressed, but to my surprise it was not the case, she told. I was with the girls in the skiers' lounge, we were listening to music and the sensations were the same as usual. I was confident and I was looking forward to going down.”
After his victory, Grenier received congratulations from his opponents, especially Shiffrin. “She gave me a big hug during the ceremonies. She is super nice and encourages everyone.
On his Twitter feed, Shiffrin added a layer of it. "This was so cool today," she wrote of the Canadian's victory.
long scarcity
Before starting a long round of interviews, Grenier was not aware that it was necessary to go back so far to list the last Canadian gold medal in giant slalom.
"It's crazy and it makes me extremely proud," she said. I am grateful to the team. We are a small team compared to the European powers and it is a big deal what we have just accomplished. The Canadians are often the underdogs and I'm really proud of the victory against dominant girls. We celebrated the team victory in the mountains and had a glass of Prosecco.
"After the race, I had a great time when the team members lifted me up to celebrate," added the 26-year-old skier. It was so cute that I cried."
Geneviève Simard was the last Canadian to win a World Cup medal in giant slalom. She won silver at Are in Sweden in 2006.
Grenier has twice finished off the podium since his World Cup debut. On this same track a year ago, she finished in 4th place in the giant slalom. In 2019 in Cortina, she also collected a 4th position, but this time in super-G.
special flavor
Beyond his first career coronation, this victory had a special flavor for Grenier who suffered a quadruple broken leg in a fall during a training run in super-G during the Are worlds in Sweden in February 2019. "I really feel like I'm back stronger than ever," she said. All the work I have done since my injury has paid off. It's a big accomplishment with everything I've been through. It will give me confidence for the next races.”
Grenier will be back in action on Sunday with a second giant slalom on the schedule. "I would like to score a double, but I'm not putting any pressure on myself. I just hope to get a good result. I hope my victory will snowball."
