Laurence St-Germain | “I want to get back on the podium”

Laurence St-Germain never fully recovered from the ankle injury that caused him to miss four slaloms in the heart of last winter. Slowed down by pain, the world champion saw the podium slip away when she returned to competition, a month later.

“I couldn’t wait for the season to end! », she admitted on the sidelines of the announcement of her new sponsor, the messaging service Intelcom, in October, in Montreal.

However, she does not regret having competed in the last three slaloms of the World Cup, where she finished 22^e19^e et 22^e. Her team assured her that there was no risk of aggravating the torn ligament in her left ankle suffered in training on December 11.

However, over time and through examinations, she learned that the injury was more complex than the original diagnosis. Another ligament was affected and she was bothered by bone edema, hence the pain she felt in her boot.

St-Germain decided to take “a step back […] to put everything back in [sa] ankle “. She canceled her participation in on-snow camps planned for spring and June, devoting herself to healing and physical training. It was therefore with some trepidation that she put her skis back on in September in Chile.

“It went really well, better than I thought,” she said. Because I still have a little bit of pain, but less when skiing. »

The 30-year-old athlete nevertheless had to recondition himself in relation to the speed between the stakes. “In slalom, we don’t go to 160 like Valérie [Grenier] in super-G and downhill, but the gates still arrive quickly. I injured myself while straddling, which caused my ankle to twist. When it went faster [à mon retour]I found that my brain was not moving fast enough. »

Her trainer Francis Royal therefore worked to give her confidence by sending her on “faster courses” which she would find in the race.

“Every turn distracted me a little, whether it hurt or not. All that has disappeared in Chile. I really put a lot of things into perspective during the three weeks there. »

So much so that she did not take advantage of the option of returning to Europe earlier to “make up” for the days lost on skiing. “At my age and with my experience, having quality training [en salle]feeling good, healthy and pain-free, that’s what will make the difference in my first race in Levi. »

Looking for a first podium

St-Germain will therefore launch its season on Saturday in the resort of Finnish Lapland. His ambitions are tempered… for now.

“I try not to set too many specific goals, but I definitely want to get back on the podium,” began the woman who is looking for a first World Cup podium after having ranked among the top 10 13 times. firsts.

“It’s the World Championships this year. Defending my title would be a bit strong, because it was already a big surprise for me and for everyone when I won [en 2023]. Basically, what I want is to put myself in a position where I can go 100% and go for the medal without restriction and without fear of being able to attack. From there, it’s not impossible that I’ll be on the podium. »

Crowned with her new status as world champion, the representative of the Mont-Sainte-Anne club imposed greater pressure on Levi a year ago. She had experienced a poor performance in the first event (42^e of the initial round) before rebounding by finishing seventh the next day.

After her troubles last season, the master’s student in biomedical engineering expects that the eyes of others will no longer be on her. At least, not before the Worlds in Saalbach, Austria, in February.

“Right now, it’s just me putting pressure on myself to get back to where I was before I got injured and put myself in a position to be able to perform,” she reframed. I’m not saying that when I have the bib that says “reigning champion” at the start, I won’t have a little extra stress, but I’m saving that for February! »