Q&A: 10 questions with Marion Thenault

Q: Looking back at 2020/21 season, no doubt it was a very successful season for you. First World Cup podium, first World Cup victory and finally a third place in the overall standing that led to the Rookie of the Year award. What does it all mean to you?

A: Last season was really a proof to myself of what I am capable of. I grew so much as an athlete between the first World Cup in Finland and the last one in Kazakhstan since it was my first World Cup Tour experience. I had expectations going in the season, but to accomplish them and even more just motivated me even more because it proved that when I jump like I know I can, amazing things can happen.

Q: Let’s stay in Almaty for a second here. Your first World Cup victory came at the final event of the season. Can you tell us something more about that day and the feeling you had once it became clear you’re the winner of the day.

A: Almaty was such a unique experience. In the training camp leading up to this event, I had a lot of doubts and it was really challenging for me to jump with confidence. I worked really hard to put everything aside to just focus on what I had to do in this very moment. I remember qualifying 6th for superfinals, so I was the first one to go. After my superfinals jump, I was relieved to have done a good jump, but the result depended on the other competitors, so I was still nervous. After the 5 others competitors went, I just remember thinking "I did it" and all my doubts, my fears, my stress left me in an instant. It was the best way possible to end the season and it gave me a big push to work as hard as I can during the off-season to come back this year even better.

Q: What is the biggest challenge for you when competing during a worldwide pandemic and how do you deal with it?

A: The hardest thing for me is not being able to spend time with my friends from the all over the world. Aerials is a really close community and the people I compete against become my friends; we travel together, we train together, we compete together, we live the same emotions, so we become very close. It is sometimes hard not to have this social aspect and just go from my bedroom to the competition site all the time. At the same time, I am so grateful that we have the opportunity to compete despite the pandemic, so when I have a hard time or feel lonely, I remember how lucky I was to practice my sport and focus on training and preparing for competitions.

Q: Now looking ahead to the new season with the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing on the horizon, what are your goals for 2021/22?

A: I would like to be back on the podium! I would also like to be part of the superfinals at the Olympic Games.

Q: If you had to name three athletes to watch out for in 2021/22, who would it be?

A: Laura Peel (Australia), Xu Mengtao (China), Danielle Scott (Australia)

Q: What is your favourite World Cup venue to compete at?

A: Moscow, Russia. The site is really nice, the conditions last year were perfect and it's where I did my first podium, so it has a special place in my heart.

Q: Name three things you love about aerials.

A: 1) The adrenaline,  2) The satisfaction of landing when it matters, 3) The community

Q: Individual competitions or team events? And why?

A: Hard question, but I would say individual competitions because I am more used to it and I am the only person affected by my performance if it doesn't go as planned.

Q: What do you wish for the future of the sport?

A: I want the sport to keep growing and show the world how awesome aerials is. I want people like Laura Peel and Ashley Caldwell (among others) to keep pushing the level of difficulty upwards. I want to see athletes accomplishing jumps they didn't think would be possible for them and proving themselves wrong.

Q: Name three things you never travel without on the World Cup circuit?

A: Headphones, yoga mat, training journal.