Canada won the first-ever bronze medal in mixed team aerials Thursday as the event made its Olympic debut at Beijing 2022.
Marion Thenault, Miha Fontaine and Lewis Irving were the three aerialists on Team Canada who each jumped once in the final to secure a surprise third place. Canada’s mixed aerials team placed fifth at the 2019 world championships and sixth in 2021.
The Canadians finished the event with a score of 290.98, behind the United States, which took the gold with 338.34 points, and China, which won silver with 324.22 points.
After securing their bronze, the Canadians were overjoyed, and a little surprised, to find themselves on the podium.
“It’s crazy. I still don’t believe it,” Thenault said.
“We knew we were capable of doing it, and we did it.”
Switzerland placed last in the four-team final with 276.01 points. Only six teams competed in the mixed team event. Belarus and the Russian Olympic Committee did not make it through to the second final.
WATCH | Mixed team aerials final:
Watch the Mixed Team Aerials final in Freestyle Skiing on Day 6 of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. 1:37:58
Team Canada’s bronze was a remarkable finish for the young team. Thenault, 21, only began freestyle skiing in 2017 after being recruited by Freestyle Canada — she had previously spent 14 years as a gymnast. She only became a full-time member of the World Cup team in the 2020-21 season, but landed on a couple of World Cup podiums and finished sixth at the world championships.
Fontaine, 18, the son of Canadian aerials legend Nicolas Fontaine, secured his best World Cup finish only last month, earning sixth place in Deer Valley, Utah.
And Irving, 26, is the veteran of the squad with a number of World Cup podium finishes under his belt. He placed 24th in men’s aerials in 2018 in Pyeongchang.
WATCH | Canada surprises with bronze in mixed team aerials:
Lewis Irving’s final jump was enough to secure bronze for teammates Marion Thenault, Miha Fontaine and himself at Beijing 2022. 2:14
For Thursday’s competition, Fontaine was wearing the gloves his father wore at the 1998 Games in Nagano.
“I’m really happy to wear them and to continue the Fontaine legacy in freestyle skiing,” Fontaine said. “And jumping in this event was amazing.”
The qualification rounds for women’s aerials begin on Sunday, with the final scheduled for Monday, while the men’s qualification rounds begin on Tuesday, with the final on Wednesday.
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