Freestyle Canada – Canadian Aerials and Moguls Athletes Finish Strong at Junior World Championships in Valmalenco, Italy
Valmalenco, Italy, April 10, 2017– Freestyle Canada’s elite junior aerials and moguls athletes were in Valmalenco, Italy competing at the FIS Junior World Championships. The Junior World Championships are the proving ground for all aspiring World Cup athletes. Overall the Canadians had a strong showing in both moguls competitions and aerials.
In moguls, Lauriane Gilbert led the way for the Canadians as she finished in sixth position, a personal best for Lauriane. On the men’s side, her teammate Daniel Tanner wasn’t far behind as he locked in a seventh place finish.
In dual moguls, Berkley Brown ended the season with a fourth place finish. Berkley had a strong season competing on the NorAm circuit, as she compiled multiple podium performances.
‘The course was very firm, so I knew that going into duals I had to be really aggressive and strong … I was a little disappointed that I missed the podium, but happy that I made improvements from single moguls.’’ Berkley seemed to have shifted gears from singles to duals competition. ‘I was skiing more aggressively in duals and was having fun, that’s what gave me the edge over the prior event. I managed to land a back tuck on the top air and front tuck on the bottom air’’ she explained.
Teammate Sofiane Gagnon finished in sixth position. Sofiane is no stranger to the podium, as she recently claimed the title as dual moguls National Champion.
On the men’s side, Ryan Portello finished in fifth position, while teammate Daniel Tanner finished in sixth.
‘’This time around at Worlds, I had a tough day in singles, I ended up 18th. However, it was a little better in duals, and I ended up fifth. I think it was the mental game that helped me,’’ explained Ryan Portello.
In Aerials, Félix Cormier-Boucher was the top Canadian finisher, landing himself in eighth position. Felix has the ability to compete with the World’s best, and with a few small tweaks, he will certainly be a podium contender next season. Teammate Victor LaRoche finished in 19th position, while Frédérike Duchaine suffered an injury and wasn’t able to compete in the qualification round.
Canada’s up-and-coming aerials and Moguls athletes are back home and will begin training for the 2017-2018 season. Given the significant technical demands of both disciplines as well as a field of global athletes continuously striving for progression, it will undoubtedly take hard work and dedication on behalf of the Canadian athletes to progress and stay competitive.
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