'You have to push yourself': Resilient Val Grenier and her Canadian teammates ready to go at alpine ski worlds
Live action begins from Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, on Tuesday
With sunshine blasting down on the Zwölferkogel slopes southwest of Salzburg in the skiing Mecca of Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Canada's Val Grenier zipped down the downhill course on Tuesday morning.
It marked the first downhill training runs ahead of the 2025 alpine ski world championships, valuable time on the mountain for the athletes ahead of the first races at the international event.
CBC Sports and CBC Gem will live stream competition throughout the event, which begins on Tuesday and runs through the final day of action on Sunday, Feb. 16.
More than 600 skiers from upwards of 70 nations have descended upon the Austrian Alps ski community for the biannual event that features the fastest, bravest, and most skilled skiers on the planet.
At 28 years old, Grenier brings a wealth of experience to the event for Canada. This is now her sixth appearance at the world championships, having made her debut at just 18 years old.
"It's a new track to me so it's a little special. I was a little nervous. I was trying to remember all the lines. There's a lot of terrain so it's hard to remember all of it," Grenier told CBC Sports.
"Overall I'm happy with how it went. Understand the line and where to go. How the jumps feel. I was a little bit safe in some sections but for the first training run it didn't really matter."
This sixth appearance almost never happened for Grenier. Almost exactly a year ago she suffered a horrific crash during a World Cup super-G race in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy. Grenier required shoulder surgery to repair a fractured humerus and also underwent reconstructive right knee surgery.
"It was really difficult at first when it happened. It was difficult to accept so to see I was going to be out for a while. I was devastated. I didn't want to do rehab again. I struggled at first," she said.
"I was patient though. I really try my best to inspire people through all of it. I've seen the comments supporting me. I'm trying my best to inspire them."
WATCH | Grenier returns to alpine world championships a year after horrific crash:
Grenier, from St-Isidor, Ont., says she's trying to be reflective about this experience, about being back to another world championships and being healthy again. It was a long road back to this point laced with months of rehabilitation but she never stopped believing she could be back on the slopes.
"You have to go for it. You have to push yourself. The first part is the hardest because you're doing nothing. It's being ready to work hard and take the time that you need. And remember the goal at the end," Grenier said.
This isn't the first time Grenier has returned from injury either. In February 2019, she broke her ankle and leg in multiple places during a training run at the world championships in Are, Sweden.
Grenier's resilience is being showcased once again.
"I love skiing. It's the love of my life. I'm always happy to be racing. I'm a racehorse and I'm super happy to be here. If I take a step back it's crazy. I've been here for a while and I'm proud of myself," she said.
And her triumphant return is fuelling a Canadian team full of confidence and momentum. Grenier is one of 12 Canadian skiers in Austria preparing for worlds.
WATCH | What Canadians need to know about the alpine ski worlds:
Less than two weeks ago, Toronto's Jack Crawford captured skiing's most prestigious prize, winning the famous Kitzbuhel downhill event. It marked the first time a Canadian had conquered Kitzbuhel since Todd Brooker did it in 1983. Cam Alexander, from North Vancouver, B.C., finished third in the same race.
Canada is coming off of its most successful alpine world championships ever, having won four medals two years ago in Courchevel and Méribel. Crawford captured gold in the super-G. Laurence St-Germain won gold in slalom. Alexander won a downhill bronze and Canada also won a team bronze in the parallel event.
Canada roster
- Ali Nullmeyer, Toronto
- Amelia Smart, Invermere, B.C.
- Britt Richardson, Canmore, Alta.
- Brodie Seger, North Vancouver, B.C.
- Cam Alexander, North Vancouver, B.C.
- Cassidy Gray, Panorama, B.C.
- Erik Read, Canmore, Alta.
- Jack Crawford, Toronto
- Jeffrey Read, Canmore, Alta.
- Laurence St-Germain, Saint-Ferreol-les-Neiges, Que.
- Riley Seger, North Vancouver
- Val Grenier, St-Isidore, Ont.
Now the 12 Canadians are hoping to build on strong recent results.
WATCH | Canada's women's alpine team reflect on national pride:
It's set to be a party in Saalbach-Hinterglemm with tens of thousands of fans making their way to the base of the hill to cheer on the skiers as they cross the finish line.
Throughout the mountain towns music can be heard blasting from apres ski chalets and cowbells ring. They've set up what they're calling the "fan mile," a stretch of road blocked off from traffic to allow spectators to gather and celebrate throughout the event. Each night there will be hundreds of more fans gathered in a medal plaza area to celebrate the gold, silver, and bronze-medal winners.
It's the first time Saalbach Hinterglemm is hosting the world championships since 1991. The event was called the sunshine world championships because of the blue sky and brilliant sunshine throughout the event. Sunshine is once again in the forecast 34 years later.
Competition begins Wednesday with the team parallel event. Alpine Canada has opted not to take part in the event, citing a number of reasons for not participating, including busy schedules for the athletes competing.
The women will be competing in the super-G on Thursday, followed by the men competing in the same event on Friday. That leads into the women's downhill on Saturday and then the men's downhill on Sunday.
All events of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships will be live streamed on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem. For the full streaming schedule, click here.
Shiffrin sits out team combined event
American Mikaela Shiffrin said on Tuesday she will not compete in the team combined event at the world championships in Austria and will instead focus on the giant slalom and slalom races as she continues working her way back from injury.
Shiffrin returned to racing last week for the first time since a ski crash last November interrupted her quest for a record-extending 100th World Cup win and left her with a puncture wound in her abdomen and severe muscle trauma.
The 29-year-old American, who finished 10th on her return, said that while she enjoyed racing last week in the women's slalom at Courchevel in France, she was still not fully recovered.
"As exciting as it was to return to racing in Courchevel, my team and I are continuing to take it one step at a time as I work to get back to 100 [per cent]," Shiffrin wrote in a post on X. "That is proving to be no small task - each day so far has come with a new set of challenges.
"With that said, I need to keep my energy focused on preparing for the giant slalom and slalom races during the World Championships, and will not be able to participate in the Team Combined."
The women's team combined event is scheduled for Feb. 11 in the Austrian resort of Saalbach while the giant slalom is set for Feb. 13 followed by the slalom on Feb. 15.
The championships continue on Thursday with the women's super-G.
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With files from Reuters
