“My name will stay in world mogul skiing for a few years”

Double world champion in mogul skiing at the end of February in Bakuriani (Georgia), the Frenchwoman Perrine Laffont ended the 2023 season by winning two last victories in the World Cup, Friday March 17 and Saturday March 18 in Almaty (Kazakhstan). A climax to the end of winter that allowed him to add two globes (best ranking overall and in the parallel event) to a collection that already had seven copies.

A year after her failure at the Beijing Olympics – defending champion, she finished in 4^e place –, the 24-year-old Ariègeoise tells for The world which allowed him to find the way to success. And make it one of the finest records of French skiing (30 World Cup victories, five world champion titles and 9 crystal globes).

His portrait in 2022: Beijing 2022 Olympics: Perrine Laffont, the epicurean of moguls

This season, perhaps the most successful in terms of results, isn’t it ultimately the best of your career?

It’s hard to classify them, to say which is the most beautiful. This post-Olympic season was complicated, we had to rebuild with a new staff. And immediately, it worked. Out of twelve races, I only miss one podium – I’m fourth [à Val St-Come, au Canada, le 27 janvier]. And to do the double at the Worlds, to become the most successful skier at the Worlds, that’s a lot of accomplishment in a single season. It is certain that this one, I went to look for it very, very far and I am very proud of it.

I never let anything go. Every weekend, it was a big battle with Anri and Jak’[la Japonaise Anri Kawamura et l’Australienne Jakara Anthony, championne olympique 2022, étaient les principales rivales de Perrine Laffont cet hiver]. Mentally, it was long, it’s four months of pressure. To have held on until the end and to finish, in addition, with two victories, it’s great.

You say it, you achieved a great end to the season. What are the “recipes” for your return to the forefront?

In the off-season, I changed all my staff: physical trainer, coaches, mental trainer. Each had reached the end of what he could give for the group. Suddenly, it was really a blank slate with a new mode of operation, a construction throughout the season. At each race, we made small adjustments. At Deer Valley [aux Etats-Unis, le 4 février], I win my first victory. There, we understand how it should work. We apply it to Valmalenco [en Italie, une semaine plus tard] ; I win too. I arrive at the Worlds with the right recipe for it to work… and it works.

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