© @AFP
Perrine Laffont facing her destiny this Sunday
Perrine Laffont no longer has a competitive edge. To win a second gold medal, which no one has ever achieved in her sport, the 2018 Olympic champion will have to achieve the perfect run in the final on Sunday if she wants to make history at just 23 years old.
Four years after the surprise of Pyeongchang, Laffont is legitimately presented as the favorite of the event, even if the domination of the Frenchwoman has proved less overwhelming this winter, and the competition is tougher. Jostled by Australian Jakara Anthony, the 2021 individual world champion will also have to be wary of the 17-year-old Japanese prodigy, Anri Kawamura.
Difficult wind and snow are all disruptive elements that French skiers could turn into assets to overthrow the hierarchy established during the descent of the games, the first alpine skiing event of the Olympic fortnight. The kings of speed, starting with Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, world No. 1 in downhill and super-G, are the favorites, but they will be four blues on the track to challenge their status.
Maxence Muzaton and Matthieu Bailet have been selected for the Beijing Olympics men’s downhill in alpine skiing on Sunday, joining Johan Clarey and Blaise Giezendanner, the French team said on Saturday. Muzaton and Bailet were preferred to Nils Allègre, after the two official training sessions on Thursday and Friday, that of Saturday having been interrupted after the passage of three skiers due to the wind.
Don’t miss the four French cross-country skiers who will be competing in the men’s skiathlon at the Olympic Games, a synthesis of cross-country skiing disciplines (15 km free + 15 km classic).
The program for the Beijing Olympics on Sunday February 6 (in French hours):
Curling (mixed tournament)
02:05: 1st round: United States-Czech Republic
02:05: 1st round: Great Britain-China
07:05: 1st round: Norway-Sweden
07:05: 1st round: Australia-Switzerland
07:05: 1st round: Italy-China
07:05: 1st round: Canada-Czech Republic
1:05 p.m.: 1st round: Canada-Australia
1:05 p.m.: 1st round: Italy-Sweden
1:05 p.m.: 1st round: Switzerland-United States
1:05 p.m.: 1st round: Norway-Great Britain
Freestyle
11:00 a.m.: women’s mogul skiing Preliminary round (Camille Cabrol)
12:30 p.m.: women’s mogul skiing Final 1st run (Perrine Laffont)
1:05 p.m.: women’s mogul skiing Final 2nd run
1:40 p.m.: women’s mogul skiing Final 3rd run
Ice hockey (women’s tournament)
09:40: 1st round / Group B: China-Japan
2:10 p.m.: 1st round/Group A: Switzerland-USA
Luge
12:30 p.m.: Single-seater men’s luge 3rd round
2:15 p.m.: Single-seater men’s luge 4th round
Figure skating
02:30: Team event – programme short women
04h50: Team event – programme free men
Speed skating
09:30: 5000m men
ski jump
12:00 p.m.: Normal hill men Final 1st run
1:00 p.m.: Normal hill men Final 2nd run
Alpine skiing
04h00: Downhill men (Johan Clarey, Blaise Gienzendanner, Maxence Muzaton and Matthieu Bailet)
cross-country skiing
08h00: Men’s skiathlon (Maurice Manificat, Jules Lapierre, Clément Parisse, Hugo Lapalus)
Snowboard
2:30 a.m.: Slopestyle women Final 1st run
02h57: Slopestyle women Final 2nd run
03h24: Slopestyle women Final 3rd round
05:30: Slopestyle men Preliminary round 1st run
06h33: Slopestyle men Preliminary round 2nd run