She still lives in the house she grew up in, in a village where almost everyone recognizes her.
Mathilde Gremaud, 22, lives in La Roche, in the district of Gruyère in the canton of Fribourg.
The famous cheese originally comes from this region, which she enjoys.
Like many athletes, she learned to ski very young and traveled a lot, dividing her time between training and competitions.
The difference between the young Romande and the others?
A prize list to make the greatest green with envy.
His rise began with a silver medal at the PyeongChang Winter Games in 2018, in the ski slopestyle discipline.
She continues her journey in 2022 in Beijing with a bronze medal in Big Air then a gold medal in slopestyle.
A record of which she speaks with an almost confusing humility.
Because Mathilde Gremaud is already giving herself other challenges to take up and questioning the future.
Caught up in the search for her "original ski" and a knowledge of herself that will allow her to live from her passion for a long time to come.
Madame Figaro: -
Can you tell us about your beginnings in competition?
Mathilde Gremaud.-
When I started freestyle skiing, at the age of 10 or 12, I didn't know how it was, I didn't even know if there were teams to train with.
My parents came from alpine skiing, I did not know the possibilities of this still too little known discipline
(it is a question of carrying out acrobatic descents on a specially equipped track, editor's note)
.
The turning point in my career was my participation in the Youth Olympic Games.
We are in 2016, I am 16 years old, and this is my first international competition.
At that precise moment I said to myself: “I want to make my passion the story of my life”.
Since 2014, I was in a regional team called Ski Romand, in the Freestyle section.
I stayed there for two years before being selected by Olympic Switzerland for the Youth Olympic Games.
I was kind of the only freestyle athlete from Romandie they had on hand!
Right after I participated in my first World Cup.
In the summer of 2017, I joined the school, then the Swiss Ski Federation and everything started at that time.
How is your daily life organised?
My days are quite full, mainly with sports activities!
During the day in winter, I mainly ski and in the evening stretching.
When we are traveling with the team, we easily cook for the whole group, which creates a good dynamic.
In the summer I really like cycling and golf.
Travel is part of everyday life, especially to participate in competitions.
The training takes place between Switzerland and Austria mainly in the fall, in the winter we follow the rhythm of the competitions abroad.
What role does the close entourage play in an athlete's trajectory, and in yours in particular?
My parents don't work in the ski industry but my dad did downhill skiing until he was 20 years old.
That's how I found myself on skis at the age of 2.
With my older sister and my parents, we crossed Switzerland on weekends to discover ski resorts.
It really is our winter family activity!
On the other hand, all the siblings did not follow this path, my sisters love skiing but did not embrace a professional career.
What are the moments you are most proud of in your career?
My three medals at the Olympic Games!
They each have a different story but the same value.
The first, we are in 2018, I win the silver medal in slopestyle.
I tore my cruciate ligaments in March 2017, the Olympics took place in March 2018, it was a huge challenge for me.
I didn't even know how to evaluate my level compared to the others.
Winning was very unexpected, people around me were already happy that I could participate.
Four years later, in China, I started with a bronze medal in Big Air.
I had just gone through a period of doubts, I hadn't achieved any results.
After winning that bronze medal, I felt so relieved.
Like a click, a comeback: "I'm back, I can ski like I
I want it without setting myself a limit”.
The emotions came back down right after, I had only one desire, to go home to find my parents!
In qualifying for the slopestyle event, I finished twelfth, which corresponds to the last rank, I narrowly made it to the final and that woke me up!
Then, I remember that the weather was nice, I had rediscovered the desire to ski, I didn't want to redo a section that didn't correspond to my skiing, that didn't make me happy.
In the end, icing on the cake, I win the gold medal!
What I remember today is above all this perfect day of skiing.
In qualifying for the slopestyle event, I finished twelfth, which corresponds to the last rank, I narrowly made it to the final and that woke me up!
Then, I remember that the weather was fine, I had rediscovered the desire to ski, I didn't want to redo a section that didn't correspond to my skiing, that didn't make me happy.
In the end, icing on the cake, I win the gold medal!
What I remember today is above all this perfect day of skiing.
In qualifying for the slopestyle event, I finished twelfth, which corresponds to the last rank, I narrowly made it to the final and that woke me up!
Then, I remember that the weather was fine, I had rediscovered the desire to ski, I didn't want to redo a section that didn't correspond to my skiing, that didn't make me happy.
In the end, icing on the cake, I win the gold medal!
What I remember today is above all this perfect day of skiing.
which didn't make me happy.
In the end, icing on the cake, I win the gold medal!
What I remember today is above all this perfect day of skiing.
which didn't make me happy.
In the end, icing on the cake, I win the gold medal!
What I remember today is above all this perfect day of skiing.
Skiing, I don't want to experience it as a constraint
Mathilde Gremaud
How do you turn a passion into a professional career?
I think that at the start you have to be fundamentally motivated and flourish in your sport without thinking about the rest.
My entourage not only encouraged me to ski but they also kept me in a bubble which allowed me to stay focused.
The good results gradually lead to a professional career.
On the other hand, I consider that the search for sponsors and the interviews with the media really correspond to my work, but skiing, I don't want to experience it as a constraint, I want it to remain fun!
It allows me to protect myself, it's important when you ski to tell yourself that you're doing it for us and not for our sponsors.
I was lucky to be able to live from my passion but it
Becoming an Olympic champion, does it change your life?
I come from a small region in which everyone knows me more or less thanks to the results I had before the Games.
After my first medal, everything escalated.
Solicitations by the media, proposals for sponsors, requests to participate in events have multiplied.
But I don't feel any extra pressure.
The people who come to see me are often very happy and it makes me happy to share their joy.
They come in saying “Oh that's so cool” and I think “It's so cool that it's so cool”!
"The Innocence of Going Skiing"
What challenges are you setting yourself this year?
It's still a little blurry!
I didn't really get the break I needed this summer.
I desperately run after him!
In terms of results, I feel like I have proven what I could do and I feel lucky to have accomplished that;
they won't take away my medals.
On a personal level, I still have work to do: I would like to be satisfied with the skiing I do, to rediscover this pleasure and this innocence of going skiing.
Which is not always easy.
I want to be at peace and feel good on my skis.
I will still take part in all the competitions, in particular the world championships.
But I don't set goals like in an Olympic year.
What role does sports equipment play in high-level practice? What are your points of vigilance?
Nothing should be left to chance!
I have to be confident with the material.
In the first position, I would say skis, boots and ski bindings.
It is impossible to feel pain and my skis have to unhook if necessary.
The helmet and the mask are also very important.
You shouldn't feel any discomfort in the nose, I'm quite obsessed with that!
It is also important that the glass of the mask allows me to clearly differentiate the reliefs and to change them according to the weather.
Clothing should not be too tight or too baggy.
I admit that I also like to be dressed differently from others.
Girls need to be able to evolve in a stable affective environment
Mathilde Gremaud
Do you still feel a difference in treatment between men and women in your sport?
I think there are always some, but in major competitions, at the X-Games for example or at the International Ski Federation, all public figures are equal.
For contracts, in our sport it is quite taboo, we have no visibility on the income of each other.
The important thing for me is to be happy with what I have.
For now, I need to be able to go on a trip to ski, but that's all!
I have an agent who takes care of the contracts, but one day for sure I will be more interested in it.
What advice would you give to young girls who want to get into freestyle skiing?
Do not hesitate or ask questions!
When I took my first steps in a snowpark, there were only boys, and it was the same configuration in the team in which I was.
At the beginning, I was doing better tricks than them, so they had nothing to say, after the differences arrived and I no longer had the monopoly!
I was lucky to get on well with them and not be mistreated.
However, I know that this is not the same for all girls.
However, negative comments can have a decisive effect on the desire to ski.
You have to make sure you have boy friends who don't know the difference.
The girls must be able to evolve in a stable affective environment, including in a snowpark.
Appreciate a skier because
