BEIJING -- Under normal circumstances, Marie-Michele Gagnon would be disappointed after placing 14th at an Olympics. Not this time.
The Canadian skier said she was pleased with her performance in the women's super-G at the Beijing Olympics on Friday even though her time was outside the top 10. The native of Lac-Etchemin, Que., finished the course in one minute 14.65 seconds, 1.14 seconds behind gold medallist Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland and less than a second away from the podium.
"I really attacked and put it all on the line through all the sections. There were a little mistakes here and there but it was a really tight race," said Gagnon. "I mean, I was less than a second from the win which is so close for being 14th. Normally we have a bit more between our times."
The 32-year-old Gagnon is appearing in her third Olympics, having previously competed at the 2010 Vancouver Games and the 2014 Sochi Games. She said that her mindset has evolved over her competitive Alpine skiing career.
"I've gone away from focusing on trying to get results because it doesn't work to try and get a result. If you focus on having your best performance that's when the results come," said Gagnon.
"Maybe today wasn't meant to be that performance for me, but it was a really good performance that gives me confidence for upcoming races and the rest of the season."
Gut-Behrami won gold in 1:13.51, which comes after two consecutive fourth-place finishes in super-G at the Olympics. The 30-year-old has two bronze medals, including one from Monday's giant slalom. She cried after getting only bronze in the downhill in 2014.
The Swiss skier echoed Gagnon's sentiment about focusing on performance rather than trying to beat the other skiers.
"I respect everyone and I know what it means to compete," said Gut-Behrami. "For sure it's a competition, someone wins, you get second, third, but I never see myself competing against someone.
"It's not tennis, you are not playing against anyone."
Austria's Mirjam Puchner took silver in 1:13.73 and Switzerland's Michelle Gisin earned bronze with a time of 1:13.81.
Roni Remme of Collingwood, Ont., was 24th after completing her run in 1:15.78.
The next women's Alpine event is the downhill on Tuesday.
Gagnon has had several top-10 finishes in downhill over the past year on the World Cup circuit. She was seventh and ninth in the discipline in Val di Fassa, Italy on Feb. 27 and 28. Then ninth in Lake Louise, Alta., on Dec. 4, fifth in Zauchensee, Austria, on Jan. 15, and ninth in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany on Jan. 29.
Having three full days to familiarize herself with the downhill course at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre is also an advantage, according to Gagnon.
"I know my downhill is just a bit more consistent," she said. "I was close to the podium more often this season. I just feel really good in that discipline.
"We'll go day by day because it's like I have no idea what this hill feels like. on downhill skis."
