At their Olympic baptism, Quebecers Olivier Léveillé and Antoine Cyr respectively ranked 31^and and in 42^and place in the 30 kilometer skiathlon event on Sunday at the Beijing Games.

Léveillé was explosive in the second part of the freestyle course. He climbed the ranks quietly throughout the race to finish the race in 1 hour 23 minutes 42 seconds (+7 minutes 32.3 seconds). The Sherbrooke cross-country skier was also delighted with his second half of the race.

“I’m super happy with my race. I succeeded two top 30 at the start of the season so I knew I was capable of repeating the feat today (Sunday). I gained several ranks after the transition in the middle of the race, I felt that my skateboarding was going to be excellent and I almost had to control myself not to go too fast in order to conserve my energy,” mentioned Léveillé in an interview with Sportcom.

“It was a mental battle with myself, 30 kilometers is extremely long. I had to be strategic to maintain a proper pace for 80 minutes. »

For his part, Antoine Cyr had some good times at the start of the race. He was even in the top 20 at the 3.8 kilometer lap time. Surprised by the altitude at the time, Cyr had to slow down afterwards to make sure he finished the race in one piece.

“It’s a race to forget. The route and the altitude got the better of me. I wasn’t able to stand out in the classic part, which is normally one of my strengths. I’m a little disappointed with the way I skied, but I’ll get over it,” said the athlete from Gatineau after completing the course in 1 hour 25 minutes 26 seconds.

The event was won by the representative of the Russian Olympic Committee Alexander Bolshunov who was in the lead for the majority of the race. His compatriot Denis Spitsov followed him in second place (+1 minute 11 seconds). The bronze medal went to Finland’s Iivo Niskanen (+2 minutes 0.2 seconds).

Aged 20 and 23, Léveillé and Cyr were in their first Olympic Games. If stress has been a major factor for them in the last 24 hours, they agree that they will never forget this first race.

“I wasn’t nervous over the last week, but the closer the race got, the higher the level of nervousness. I can perform under pressure and that’s what I want to do here in Beijing. It’s an amazing experience,” said Cyr.

“I will remember this all my life! It’s more stressful than I thought though. I got used to life in the village well, but the tension mounted in the last hours. I managed to keep my cool and to have been able to break the ice in a good way,” added Léveillé.

The cross-country skiers will be back in action on Tuesday for the freestyle sprint.