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Some bronze medals are worth their weight in gold. Valérie Grenier’s third-place finish in women’s giant slalom at the Mont-Tremblant World Cup certainly fits that category.
Grenier climbed two spots in Saturday’s second run, finishing with a combined time of two minutes 17.18 seconds to take bronze in the first of two races at the ski resort northwest of Montreal.
The 29-year-old from St. Isidore, Ont., who grew up skiing at Mont-Tremblant, was one second behind gold medallist Alice Robinson of New Zealand, who earned her second straight victory.
Valérie Grenier of St. Isidore, Ont., finishes third in the women’s giant slalom at the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in Mont Tremblant, Qu
Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutic (2:17.12) placed second, while Switzerland’s Camille Rast (2:17.39) and France’s Clara Direz (2:17.69) rounded out the top five. American star Mikaela Shiffrin (2:17.83), who was third after the opening run, posted only the 20th-fastest second run and finished the day in sixth place.
Grenier reached a World Cup podium for the first time since finishing third in the downhill at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in January 2024 — the fifth podium of her career.
Two days after stepping onto the podium in Cortina, she suffered serious injuries to her right leg and knee that sidelined her until the 2024-25 season.
Once she secured her medal Saturday, she was visibly emotional in the finish area.
Valérie Grenier of St. Isidore, Ont., is extremely happy after finishing third in the women’s giant slalom at the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in Mont Tremblant, Que.
Grenier led a trio of Canadians into the second run of the World Cup stop. Britt Richardson, ninth after the first run, finished 15th in 2:18.65. Cassidy Gray (2:20.33) placed 27th.
The course and the steady snowfall through the entire first run appeared to cause trouble for several skiers, including some of the favourites.
Canadian alpine skiing star Valérie Grenier shares what it means to race in front of the Mont-Tremblant, Que., community that’s supported her since the very beginning.
Austria’s Julia Scheib, who led the discipline standings entering the day, failed to complete her opening run, as did Sweden’s Sara Hector, fifth in the rankings and the first out of the gate Saturday.
In all, eight of the 50 skiers failed to reach the finish line.
A second giant slalom event is set for Sunday. Watch live coverage on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem, starting at 9:45 a.m. ET.
Watch the final women’s giant slalom run at the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in Mont Tremblant, Que.
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