Thursday, November 29, 2001
Turgeon's making a fast return
By ERIC FRANCIS -- Calgary Sun
LAKE LOUISE -- Melanie Turgeon knows the results of World Cup training runs mean about as much as NFL exhibition games, PGA practice rounds or NHL all-star tilts.
Yet, after zipping down the Men's Olympic Downhill course at Lake Louise almost a half-second faster than the rest of the field yesterday, the 25-year-old Quebec City resident is encouraged heading into today's season-opening Winterstart World Cup downhill.
"It's good to have a good time but some girls stood up at the finish line," said Turgeon, well-aware many competitors hold back on the final training run.
"For me, without looking at the time, I felt good. I went up a notch from (Tuesday) and am finding the confidence to cut the line a little bit.
"I don't want to put pressure on myself. It's not because I won a training run that I'm going to win (today).
"I'll definitely try but this is for me to work on some stuff and, if the stuff I'm working on gets me down the hill fast, the results will come."
Missing four months of summer training due to chronic back problems and off-season sinus surgery to relieve intense pressure that caused debilitating headaches, Canada's top speed demon expected she may just spend the first couple races of the season building confidence and getting her feel back.
However, after jumping onto downhill skis for the first time in seven months, the highly competitive Turgeon feels deep down she has as good a chance as anyone of winning today or tomorrow's downhill or Saturday's super-G.
"I want to keep improving but I don't want to be out of the top-10," laughed Turgeon, who had four podium finishes last year to rank sixth among downhillers and fourth in super-G.
"Every run I feel better and more confident and can look for more speed.
"A couple more runs, a little bit more mileage and I'll be back to where I was last year."
Joining Canada's national team at age 17 following a stunning five-medal performance at the 1994 World Juniors, the tempestuous Turgeon struggled for most of the following three years. Plagued by back problems and mounting frustration, Turgeon admits she lost her passion for a sport she started at age three. On the verge of quitting, she suddenly became the first Canadian woman to stand atop a World Cup podium in six years with a shocking super-G win at Innsbruck.
The result has been a kinder, gentler version of Turgeon, who leans heavily on her coach, Piotr Jelen, and boyfriend to keep her in check when things go awry.
"For those who remember how I was when I was 17, I'm a totally different person now and I can cope with these kinds of slowdowns of the training regimen," said Turgeon, now the oldest member of Canada's 10th-ranked women's squad.
"Piotr is always behind me, pushing me -- he's really positive so that helps me out. If I do the work I need to do, I'll get to where I need to get when I get there."
Her ultimate goal this season is to peak in February when she'll be touted as one of Canada's best medal hopefuls at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
"We're going for gold at the Olympics but if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen -- it's not the end of the world," smiled Turgeon, whose best finish here was a fifth in super-G in 1999.
"It's too complicated to explain how the weather is such a factor and all that."
Insisting her time off skis following surgery helped her focus more on her visualization, Turgeon finished seventh and sixth in training Tuesday on a course she knows inside and out.
Her sparkling run yesterday now has people talking about the possibility of her becoming the first woman to climb the podium here in the event's 12-year history.
One woman who will have something to say about that is German Regina Haeusl, who followed a first-place finish here Tuesday with a second yesterday, despite the fact this is her first competition since she missed all of last season with a broken leg.
Charlesbourg, Que. native Anne-Marie Lefrancois, who needs just one more top-16 finish to qualify for Salt Lake, was 13th, while technical demon Allison Forsyth finished 57th. Seven Canadians will race today.
2002 Games Alpine Skiing Coverage
