(Mont-Tremblant) It was Sunday afternoon, and the final giant slalom of the weekend at the Tremblant World Cup had been over for about 40 minutes. The snow continued to fall on the blue tuque of Mikaela Shiffrin, the last to sign autographs.
The supporters, the majority children, jostled on the edge of the security barrier to reach Shiffrin. Screams, almost tears, were part of the atmosphere, just like the snow and the smell of beaver tails.
Suddenly, and not just because of her blonde braid, the skier could almost compare herself to Taylor Swift. Moving to the right, Shiffrin wrote his initials on gloves, helmets and caps using a terminal felt-tip pen.
At 28, Shiffrin is already the greatest female skier in history. On a statistical level and also on that of influence and notoriety.
The American finished on the third step of the podium twice during the weekend. But during the presentation of the medals, she was applauded as if she had won a series of victories. When in reality, she did not offer her best skiing.
The fact remains that Shiffrin is a victim of his sport. Perhaps for many people who opened their electronic tablet or television in recent days, Shiffrin was a stranger. Alpine skiing does not have the popularity of hockey, tennis or football here.
But in fact, Shiffrin is to alpine skiing what Connor McDavid, Novak Djokovic and Patrick Mahomes are to their respective sports. They are not only references, idols and models, but above all they are markers of time. We are currently living in the same era as the most prolific skier in history, and Quebec ski fans wanted to imbue this privilege in their memory.
There was hysteria at the end of the last race. Shiffrin, dressed in her long blue-gray coat bearing the image of the American team and protected by her Oakley sunglasses, was available all weekend. She even bit into a chocolate pastry offered by supporters.
First on Friday, she was the only foreign skier to take part in the opening press conference. On Saturday, she was the athlete who gave the most interview time to the written press. Then on Sunday, during her one-on-one interview with your La Presse representative, she answered each of the questions asked despite the cold, the wind and the impatient crowd.
Unlike many athletes of her status, Shiffrin stands out for her genuine desire to answer as best as possible questions that she has probably already had to answer a thousand times.
At the end of each question, she takes a moment to think. When his thinking is organized, his responses are long, complete and articulate. But above all, she speaks while looking the person with whom she is speaking directly in the eyes. As if, at this precise moment, this person was the most important in the galaxy.
You have to meet these athletes closely to understand their magnetism.
And over the course of this weekend, the adage that you should never meet your idols, for fear of being disappointed, became complete nonsense.
Two athletes, other than Shiffrin, stood out on Tremblant mountain. Not necessarily because of their agility on the Flying Mile track, but rather because of their attention to French.
Federica Brignone was breathtaking throughout the weekend, snatching two victories. If his title was more predictable on Saturday at the end of the first round, his triumph on Sunday was surprising.
Sixth at the end of the first descent, the Crystal Globe champion of the discipline in 2020 went to take a walk in the crowd between the two rounds, probably knowing that her chances of returning later thanks to a podium were slim.
However, the Italian’s skiing was impeccable despite the amount of snow that fell and the squalls.
She became a winner again and charmed the audience with a few dance steps. And thanks to his impeccable French.
On the main stage or in the mixed zone, the Milanese spoke in French all weekend. A Frenchman with influences and a touch from the south-east of France, similar to that of the Swiss.
The biggest surprise of the weekend, however, came from the Canadian camp.
Unlike Mother Nature, young and petite Cassidy Gray was able to bring light and warmth into this gray and cold weekend.
Gray finished 24th on Saturday and Sunday and at each end of the race she stood in front of the media saying “in French? »
Coming from a 22-year-old athlete from Invermere, British Columbia, this attention to detail was pretty amazing. Few Canadian athletes are so willing to express themselves in the language of Félix Leclerc.
“We’re in Quebec, it’s important to force myself to speak in French,” she replied Saturday when asked why she wanted to express herself in her second language.
And added the next day: “I had good teachers at school,” when she was asked why she was so comfortable.
The redhead charmed Quebecers with her performances, her smile and her generosity.
The snow continued to fall at the top of Place Saint-Bernard and everyone was delighted. The panorama of businesses with colorful facades and trees of the Laurentians was splendid.
And good news, Shiffrin, Brignone and Gray will be back next year.
