Canada's Marie-Michele Gagnon hitting her stride in women's downhill
Marie-Michele Gagnon was the lone Canadian alpine skier to stand on a World Cup podium last winter.
The 32-year-old's transition from slalom and giant slalom to downhill was interrupted by a lost season due to injury, but she's now among the world's elite in speed disciplines.
"There's a lot of good things happening right now," Gagnon told The Canadian Press. "I'm in a much better place than ever right now in that journey.
"I have a really good start position. I'm in with the best 20 in the world, so I get a good start number. My chances go up because I have the same conditions as the fast people."
She leads a small Canadian contingent into the women's World Cup downhill season starting Friday in Lake Louise, Alta. A second downhill Saturday and Sunday's super-G follows, if the weather co-operates.
The men's World Cup in Lake Louise was whittled down from a three-race weekend to one. One of two downhills and Sunday's super-G were cancelled because of too much snow.
The resort in Banff National Park had accumulated about half a metre of wet snow as of Monday. Rain moved in this week.
Gagnon was seventh in Tuesday's first training run, but runs Wednesday and Thursday were called off.
The forecast for women's race weekend in Alberta is more promising, with less precipitation and temperatures below freezing.
Both the men's and women's World Cups in Lake Louise were cancelled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Racing in Canada again after a year's hiatus is meaningful for Gagnon, of Lac-Etchemin, Que.
"It's wonderful," she said. "It's really nice to have a home race. It's good for the future of racers in Canada to also have that hill be ready (because) Nor Am goes after the World Cup.
"I personally am really happy to be here because I like being at home, the track here and the people."
Once a tech-race specialist with a pair of career World Cup victories in alpine combined, Gagnon began transitioning into speed events five years ago.
The two-time Olympian suffered season-ending knee and shoulder injuries crashing in a Lake Louise training run in 2017. She wasn't able to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The injuries and loss of a season interrupted Gagnon's quest to be a world-class downhiller. The resumption of that goal needed time to regain confidence and more race mileage.
She posted three top-10 results in downhill last winter and earned her first World Cup medal in a speed event. She took bronze in super-G in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
"It was honestly the best feeling to have a good season last year," Gagnon said.
"I was kind of at the point where the team didn't have much money and they almost couldn't have a women's speed team. It was almost like the end of it for me. Last year, to overcome that, and to be the only one on the entire team to have a podium was really special for me.
"This podium was my most exciting podium I've ever had in my career."
Gagnon placed sixth in super-G and 13th in downhill in February's world championship in Cortina, Italy. Her best result in Lake Louise so far was 10th in super-G in 2013.
She's engaged to U.S. men's downhill team racer Travis Ganong.
Gagnon's downhill teammate Roni Remme of Collingwood, Ont., placed fifth in alpine combined, which is the total time of a slalom run and super-G, in Cortina's world championship.
Toronto's Candace Crawford and Stefanie Fleckenstein of Whistler, B.C., who weren't named to the women's team by Alpine Canada this season, are racing in Lake Louise as independents.
Emily Brydon was the last Canadian woman to stand on the Lake Louise podium, finishing second and third in 2009 downhills.
International skiers to watch include reigning world downhill and super-G champion Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland, Olympic downhill champ Sofia Goggia of Italy and American ski star Mikaela Shiffrin.
Shiffrin excels in slalom, giant slalom and alpine combined, but has won both a downhill and a super-G in Lake Louise during her career.
Lake Louise offers equal prize money for the men's and women's World Cups at 120,000 Swiss francs per event (C$167,000). The winner takes a C$62,000 slice.
Lake Louise hosted its first World Cup in 1980 when Steve Podborski, Ken Read and Dave Irwin - known as the Crazy Canucks - raced a men's downhill.
The ski resort west of Calgary has been the site of 78 women's and 46 men's World Cups races since then.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.