(Beaupré) Audrey McManiman had a day the opposite of that of her compatriot Eliot Grondin.
Leader of the qualifications like him, the snowboarder from Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare fell in the third turn of the quarter-finals of the Mont-Sainte-Anne Snowboardcross World Cup, where Grondin triumphed in the men’s category on Saturday after- noon.
To her surprise, she even received a yellow card after the incident, when if a foul were to be awarded, it was probably France’s Manon Petit Lenoir who would have deserved it.
“I was surprised to get a yellow card and so was Manon,” McNaminam reacted minutes later. “But hey, it’s sport, it’s still a contact sport. It’s not me who decides. They are the judges. »
The 28-year-old Quebecer, who had never been the subject of such a warning, accepted her share of the blame, explaining that she had “lack of rhythm” in the rollers before the third turn, which unbalanced on landing. Then, she could not dodge the French she was trying to overflow outside.
“Manon came in front of me and I couldn’t avoid her,” said the one who inherited the 16th and last place in the playoff table. “The snow was still a little soft too.” It’s no more my fault than his. Circumstances made it so. »
McManinam made sure her opponent was uninjured before coming on and crossing the finish line in third place, long after the top two who advanced to the semi-finals.
“Not making it through to the quarter-finals is a real shame for me. I’m a little disappointed with my performance this morning. He remains tomorrow [Sunday]. I’m not stressed. It will be a better day. »
His trainer Maëlle Ricker reminded him that his speed on Friday had not disappeared.
“It’s not the end of the world, that’s the deal,” philosophized the one who missed two months this season due to a concussion.
Briton Charlotte Banks came from behind in the final to blow victory to Frenchwoman Chloé Trespeuch, Olympic vice-champion. American Lindsey Jacobellis, gold medalist at the Beijing Olympics, completed the podium, the 59th of her brilliant career.
Banks needed the inflatable structure bordering the finish area to stop his race. The 27-year-old snowboarder greeted her sixth consecutive World Cup victory with tears.
“It was a tough battle,” said the 2021 world champion, who represented France early in her career. “That final was pretty crazy. I missed my start and focused on generating speed to come back. We could have all ended up on the ground. From there, it was necessary to give everything to the wire. The fight with the other girls is tight. I didn’t think I could win again. »
Although his 88-point lead over Trespeuch seems insurmountable – a victory is worth 100 points – Banks assured that “nothing was done” in the race for the crystal globe of the season standings which will be awarded after the last event of the season. winter, Sunday.
