With eight months to go before the opening of the Sochi Winter Olympics, every second feels urgent for Canadian snowboarders determined to replicate the glory of Vancouver 2010.
Canada’s Olympic snowboard team is currently gathering in North Vancouver for a six-week dryland training session. Over the coming months, their training will intensify as they head to Argentina and Chile for warm-up sessions in preparation for the Sochi Games in February next year.
Snowboarding is a Canadian strength. At the previous Vancouver Winter Olympics, the Canadian team won two golds and one silver in the sport. As a result, the Canadian snowboard team faces significant pressure, and Maelle Ricker, the gold medalist in snowboard cross at Vancouver 2010, carries especially high expectations from fans.
The 34-year-old Ricker spent recent years battling injuries but returned to win a world championship before officially announcing in January this year that she would compete in Sochi. Speaking to Xinhua News Agency reporters at a step-run training session on the 14th, Ricker said her dryland training is all about preparing to perform at her best in Russia.
“Yes, I had never won a world championship before, until last year. And that title was something I’d always wanted. So naturally, I put pressure on myself to perform well at last year’s worlds. Of course, looking ahead to next year (the Olympics), I want to achieve the same kind of success in Sochi,” she said.
Facing an increasing number of rising talents, Ricker said summer training is crucial for her. Over the next few weeks, she will engage in high-intensity running, cycling, weight training, swimming, and aerobic exercises, before heading to South America in August for mountain training.
“In the southern hemisphere, we can do winter snow training and snowboard cross training. We have a training venue in Argentina. The course obstacles there were built by the same person who designed the Vancouver Olympic courses, so we’re definitely going to get great training there,” she said.
Chris Robanske is a newcomer to the Canadian team. The 23-year-old from Calgary won his first World Cup in February at the Ontario event, becoming the first Canadian to stand on the World Cup podium in nearly six years. Competing in Sochi will be his first Olympics, and he said the whole team is following Ricker’s example of high-intensity summer training.
“You can see that she (Ricker) works hard whether on snow, dryland, or in the indoor training gym. She never skips any part of the workout at the end, she’s super dedicated. So we’re all following that mindset, and I think we’ll have a successful season next year because we’re all following her rhythm. She’ll definitely lead us to multiple medals at next year’s Olympics and World Cups,” Robanske told reporters.
Ricker will turn 35 in December this year, and next February will mark her fourth Olympic appearance. She currently has no plans to retire after Sochi.
“I’m definitely focused on getting stronger, improving my snowboarding skills, and making everything better. The sport is always evolving, getting faster and more precise, so I have to make sure I’m in top shape in February. I’m currently at the peak of my career,” she said.