Hélie, the lone Canadian to reach the semis on Sunday, had a great start in the small final. He skied with the lead all the way, claiming his first 5th place finish.
Louis-Pierre Hélie earned his best World Cup finish ever on Sunday.
By Justin Brisbane, Rocky Mountain Outlook February 19, 2015
For two years, Banff’s Louis-Pierre Helie has pushed the physical limits of his body in striving to be the best ski cross athlete in the world.
Working out at the CrossFit Banff gym, he’s tried many new techniques to increase his strength, speed and stamina, which would allow him to break through after two years of decent, but not spectacular, results.
Finally, on Sunday (Feb. 15), Helie broke through with a win in the small final, finishing fifth on the world cup for the best result of his career. It was only the third time he’s cracked the top 10 on the world cup, but not the last.
“Today I was going for it,” Helie said “I have gained a lot of confidence in these past couple of races, which has allowed me to just push and focus on racing.”
He rocketed through the quarterfinal, edging out teammate Brady Leman, as the two were shoulder to shoulder in the hunt for the semifinals.
In the semifinal, he played it safe and couldn’t find a spot to rocket into the top two, and was relegated to the small final. Once there, he led from start to finish.
Also read
HÉLIE TURNS IN BEST-EVER WORLD CUP RESULT By Alpine Canada February 15, 2015