Calgary, AB, (February 11, 2021) – After days of cancellations and delays, the 2021 Alpine World Ski Championships from Cortina d’Ampezzo, ITA finally kicked off this morning with the women’s super-G. Coming off her third-place finish in Garmisch, GER two weeks ago Marie-Michèle Gagnon (Lac-Etchemin, QC) kicked out of the gate with an extra “10 percent” of confidence. She charged the course, with a vertical drop of 630m under bright blue skies to finish in sixth spot. 

“Today went well, overall, I’m happy with the solid result. I was pushing to get on to the podium, but I lost a bit of time in the middle,” Marie-Michèle said after her race. 

Marie-Michèle’s sixth-place finish ties her best World Championship result when she finished sixth in the 2017 alpine combined in St. Moritz, SUI. Looking forward to a weekend of speed including the downhill and the delayed alpine combined on Monday, Mitch has her foot on the gas and isn’t letting up anytime soon. 

“I’m feeling solid on my skis so I’m excited for the downhill. You can build up the confidence with the training runs,” Marie-Michèle said. “We have a window of good weather right now so it will be a busy couple of days.” 

Teammate Valérie Grenier (Mont-Tremblant, QC) made her return to speed events today after coming back from an injury that kept her out all last season. Val started strong but missed a gate and did not finish the run. Val has been focused on the giant slalom this season, finishing in 13th in Courchevel, FRA earlier this season. 

Marie-Michèle will be the sole Canadian in the start gate on Saturday for the women’s downhill where she looks to build on her early success from this World Championships. Catch all the action on CBCSports.ca beginning at 5:00 AM ET / 3:00 AM MT. 

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whunter@alpinecanada.org I 403-471-6032

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Alpine Canada is the governing body for alpine, para-alpine, and ski cross racing in Canada, as well as for Canadian ski coaches, providing education, certification, insurance, and compliance with the coaching code of conduct. With the support of valued corporate partners and donors, along with the Government of Canada, Own the Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee, and the Coaching Association of Canada, Alpine Canada develops Olympic, Paralympic, World Championship, and World Cup athletes to stimulate visibility, inspiration, and growth in the ski community. In 2020/21, Alpine Canada celebrates 100 years of rich tradition in competitive skiing in Canada.