Jumper Emile Nadeau, who was the victim of a serious training fall last February that left him with a broken cervical vertebra, was scared upon his return but the three-week training camp in Australia was very helpful.
Upon his return, Nadeau wondered about an extreme sport where the risks are high. “It was hard to deal with the fear,” he admitted. When I returned, it was difficult for me. Since I missed the end of the season and didn't start summer ramp training until late June, I was running low on volume. I gradually returned. I did fewer jumps per workout, which is why it was longer.”
Along with his teammates Alexandre Duchesne and Pierre-Olivier Côté, as well as his coach Remy Bélanger, Nadeau flew to Australia, where he trained on the water ramps in Brisbane from September 20 to October 12.
“It was Remy who came up with the idea and it was a good decision to go to Australia,” he said. Due to the cold, the drainage at the Relais was closed. I was able to make my big jumps and everything went well.”
Snow is the next step
The next step will be to rejoin the snow during a training camp in Finland in preparation for the Ruka World Championships. The Canadian team will depart on November 10th.
“I’m a little stressed,” he admitted. This is my first serious injury in my career. On the other hand, I enjoy jumping on snow much more than jumping on a water ramp.”
Bélanger believes Nadeau's failure will benefit him. “Emil has never faced any serious problems in his career,” he explained. Depending on how you respond, you will become stronger and seek benefits. In Australia, he gained confidence and made big jumps, which was not part of the original plan.
Having finished on the podium at Lac Beauport last January, Nadeau is in a good position to earn a spot at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
Having suffered an ankle injury last winter and contracted mononucleosis upon returning from the World Championships, where he finished fourth, Duchene has also returned to form.
“I missed a month with mononucleosis and made up for it during a camp in Australia,” he said. I rolled my big jump. Now I have all the jumps I need for the Games. I almost missed qualifying for 2022.”
Duchesne always dreamed of taking part in the Games. “I don't remember the exact moment when I started thinking about the Games, but it was a long time ago. It's been at least 15 years since I started skiing at age six, and I'm 21 now.”
“For two years, I was confident that I could achieve my goal,” adds Duchesne. I finished in the top 10 of the cumulative rankings in 2023 and 2024 and in 11e place last year, although I missed the World Championships due to injury. In an individual sport, we are a team and this is the first time I have thought about beating my teammates.
