The nation’s mixed curling tournament crowned Norway on Thursday with a small point ahead of the bright Japanese. However, it will take patience for these players to get to grips with the curling elite. Former president of the Champéry club and sport manager of the Olympic site, Hubert Grenon evokes these talents in full bloom.
It is said that certain athletes, such as skiers or snowboarders, could already be in the running at the Beijing Games in 2022. Have we also seen the emergence of stars in Champéry?
You can’t compare to snowboarding. The average age of a curler in the elite is between 25 and 35 years. The young people registered here are between 15 and 18 years old. Participants in the YOG therefore still have a lot of room for improvement. This does not detract from the quality of this tournament. We already see those who know how to build a strategy.
The matches seem to be going quickly, it feels like we are seeing a more impulsive game.
Generally, the juniors play more defensive. We are more concerned with getting the stone out of the opponent rather than trying to build guards. This is explained by the fact that there is a little more waste among young people than the opponent can exploit. There is another important difference: adults know the players they are going to face. They adapt their strategy accordingly. I doubt that these young people have ever had the opportunity to meet outside YOG.
What hope do you place in the multinational tournament, to be followed as of Saturday?
With this formula, we try to break the competitive side between nations (note: 48 pairs will be formed by a boy and a girl from two different nations). It will be interesting to see how these young people work together and especially how they will understand each other when they do not necessarily speak the same language. For those who will have the chance to play the two finals, the entry can go up to 12 days in total. It’s long. Especially since they travel four hours every day. Their physical and mental resistance is tested.
Created: 16.01.2020, 22h21
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