SAINT-COME | Michel Hamelin, already wearing several hats with the national team in addition to his official title as head coach of the freestyle mogul team, added another string to his bow in what is usually a busy Olympic year.
• Also read: 100th World Championship victory around the corner in Val-Saint-Côme: “It would be a mistake to approach the competition like that” – Mikael Kingsbury
• Also read: Mikael Kingsbury: This weekend is my last time performing in Quebec
Since August, he has managed Mikael Kingsbury's calendar, training and return to strategy. He serves as the liaison to the entire medical team surrounding the “Mogul King” following his late-summer groin injury.
“This is a different year,” he sums up with a broad smile at the foot of the slopes of Val-Saint-Côme in an interview with the magazine Magazine at the beginning of the week. This stop in Lanaudiere is one of the last two of the World Championships, giving access to the Olympic Games to several athletes.
“Mike”, among other things, manages the men’s program and also looks after his athletes. But he is a conductor. The 52-year-old, who is celebrating 25 years of service to the national team, is also a technical coach when he is not playing travel agent, psychologist or off-track secretary. Not to mention that he sometimes has to look after the “team mascot”, Henrik, Mikael's son, when the cute little one follows him on the road.
“It’s exciting and different from what I’ve already experienced because I manage the training, the intensity, the volume, the demands and everything about Mikael,” explains the man, who has 25 years of experience in the national team program.
“It's always been quite easy with Mick throughout his career. We've been following the whole process there since the end of August.
Advance, retreat
Indeed, the man with 29 crystal globes has not suffered injury since 2011. Aside from a double vertebral fracture in December 2020 that sidelined him for two months, his schedule and training plans have generally been easy to manage.
However, the scenario at the beginning of this season was different. Kingsbury missed the team's first training camp in Chile in late September as he focused on rehab in the gym. Then, when snow fell in Hydre Fjäll, Sweden, in late October, the pain required new intervention and a reinforcement plan. Therefore, the athlete returned to Montreal earlier than expected.
A month later, ahead of the season in Ruka, Finland, “Mick” raised another flag by withdrawing from the first competition. This prompted the medical and technical team to develop a new plan to prepare for the Olympic Games.
“We had to do some tests and try to understand what was going on. I didn't expect that. During this process, we really had to take a step forward, which would take us two steps back, to adjust, adapt and improve,” explains Hamelin.
Photo archive, Didier Debuscher
New reality
This step back is the preventive withdrawal of Finnish troops. It was at that moment that he saw his fierce 33-year-old competitor struggle with the realization that he could give up and miss races from now on.
“It was hard for him to give up the top prize, but you have to do it even if you feel he's capable,” says one who doesn't take all the big decisions involving Kingsbury lightly to guide him properly.
DIDIER DEBUCHÉRE/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
“We are older, this year we are treating an injury. The task,” the head coach reminds, “is to arrive at the Games in great shape and fresh as a rose. You will need to reach the top at the right time.”
“We've won enough races in our lives,” he adds of his protégé's 109 career wins. Given his condition, we want him to have the experience of competing in singles in Saint-Côme and Waterville so that he can arrive at the Games in good health. We'll be pissed when we get there,” he imagines the philosophy he will adopt for the coming weeks.
Great maturity
Despite the obstacles and training strategies, Hameln also discovered signs of maturity in his protégé that he had never seen before.
“I see him as a father figure. That aspect of life helps a lot in our plan. He makes great decisions and listens to his instincts. He's precise on the mountain and follows a very clear plan. Everything he does on the track is for a very specific reason. Quality is more important than quantity.”
Didier Debucher / Le Journal de Québec
On Monday in Val-Saint-Côme, Hamelin estimated that his ace tycoon was using about 93% of his abilities and had excellent control of his body.
“He did two good runs, using about 90% of his capacity with intensity and speed. We've already won a lot of races with him,” the coach recalls. Strategy is the key. You have to make sure you stay in control to avoid a relapse. He's already qualified for the Games. You just have to be smart.”
Which makes competitors wary. Rivals are already intrigued by the absence, presence and actions of the “King of Tycoons”.
