A fourth place which, despite everything, has a taste of victory. Leaving through the back door of qualifying in Pyeongchang, in 2018, the mogul skier Benjamin Cavet failed (79.44 points) at the foot of the Beijing Olympic Games podium, Saturday February 5, on the icy track of Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou.
The Swede Walter Wallberg (21 years old, 83.23 points) won gold against all odds, ahead of the ultra favorite of the competition, the Canadian Mikaël Kingsbury (82.18), reigning Olympic champion and master of discipline for almost ten years. The Japanese Ikuma Horishima (81.48) completes the podium. The other Frenchman engaged on Saturday, Sacha Theocharis, 31, finished 11and of the final.
At 28, Benjamin Cavet, despite his disappointment, can however be satisfied to have gone to the final round of the Olympic event. “I have no regrets, I gave it my all. I did with my 100% of my current form”he declared after the event, while admitting that this 4th place will lead him ” in the following days “ see you “feeling a little lonely”. “It will be harder in a second time”.
In 2014, in Sochi (Russia), the skier from Châtel (Haute-Savoie) finished in eighth place. Four years later, in South Korea, the native of Kent (United Kingdom), naturalized French at the age of 18, had not made it to the final, taking the 25and place at the end of the qualifications.
“I was able to learn a lot of lessons and I’m applying them this year”, he assured before the competition. The Frenchman especially found the springs to silence the critics who questioned his ability to find the heights after a more than mixed start to the season.
Only one World Cup podium (3and in Idre Fjäll, in Sweden) in December 2021, a sad ninth place in the general classification: the spoils were very meager for the vice-world champion in mogul skiing in 2021 before landing in China. “A start to the season not up to what I wanted”he admitted on Wednesday in a press videoconference, just before entering Olympic competition.
“I arrived with full confidence”
On the bumps of Zhangjiakou, Benjamin Cavet had started his competition perfectly, finishing third in qualifying on Thursday evening. The first contact with Chinese artificial snow had been, by his own admission, excellent. “ Just before qualifying, I really did crazy training. As a result, I arrived with full confidence,” he savored, adding: “I come here in my best shape of the season. »
But on Saturday, the Frenchman, who nevertheless achieved his best performance in China during his last visit (run), has nothing to reproach himself for: relegated to more than two points from the podium, his opponents in the evening were simply superior to him.
The “worker” from Châtel however suffered until recently from heel pain which has been bothering him for several weeks. “It’s not very serious, but relatively annoying in a sport like ours where we know a lot of shocks”put his coach Ludovic Didier into perspective before the Games.
With Perrine Laffont, Sunday February 6, the technician of the Blues has another very good card to play. Reigning Olympic champion, the Ariègeoise can write the history of her sport if she achieves the double.