Canadian Olympic bronze medalist Marion Thenault of Sherbrooke, Quebec won her second career World Cup aerials gold medal on Saturday afternoon. The 22-year-old who placed third in the mixed team aerials event for Canada at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, won her World Cup event on Canadian snow, as it took place in Le Relais, Quebec.
Thenault posted a score of 96.23 points. Ashley Caldwell of the United States won the silver medal with a score of 92 points. Anastasiya Novosad of Ukraine won the bronze medal with a score of 86.71 points. Thenault reached the podium by 24.89 points over Olga Polyuk of Ukraine, who had a fourth place time of 71.34 points.
It has been a great start to the 2022-23 World Cup aerials season for Thenault. After three of six competitions, Thenault is the World Cup women’s aerials leader with 195 points. Danielle Scott of Australia is in second place with 182 points.
Thenault’s first World Cup aerials victory was in Almaty, Kazakhstan on March 13, 2021. She has won five medals overall, as she also has two silver medals and one bronze medal. The gold medal in Le Relais, Quebec will give Thenault confidence as she prepares for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo.