Dressed as a roaring tiger－but with no tail grabs－Frenchwoman Lucile Lefevre stole the show at snowboarding Big Air's qualifying round on Monday as she celebrated the Year of the Tiger in her career finale at Beijing 2022.
In the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Snowboard Women's Big Jump Qualifying Tournament on February 14, France's Lucille Lefifer dressed up as a roaring tiger, and she did not have a backhand but attracted countless eyes, as she celebrated the last year of the tiger in her career.
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Donning an orange-and-black suit while miming a pair of claws in the air, Lefevre captured the crowd's attention in her second run, despite opting for a straightforward jump with no tricks due to a knee injury she sustained during the slopestyle competition on Feb 5.
During a slope slalom skill match on Feb. 5, Lefebfe injured his knee. Because of the knee injury, Lefebvre knew that she could not complete the established technical movements, so in the second round of the big jumping competition, she entered the battle as a set of black and yellow striped tigers, and also waved the "tiger claw" in the air.
Having decided to retire from the sport after Beijing 2022, the 26-year-old crowd pleaser made her final run on the Olympic stage one to remember－not just for herself but anyone watching the Games, which are taking place in the lunar calendar's Year of the Tiger.
Lefebvre, 26, decided to retire after the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the year of the Chinese Tiger, which was her last game. It was a moment to remember, not only for herself, but for all those who watched the game.
"It is my very last competition. I hurt my knee in the slopestyle, so I was not able to do tricks today. I decided to do the competition, but just do it straighter. It's more fun like this. It's for tiger new year, so everyone wants a picture with me. It was super fun," Lefevre said after her three qualification runs.
"This is my last game. I injured my knee during the slope sculpting and today I couldn't complete the set technical moves. I still decided to finish the race, but more directly. This is more interesting. Because this year is the Year of the Tiger, everyone wants to take a picture with me. It was so much fun. Lefebvre said after three qualifiers.
"I feel good about it, because the world should be fun. There are a lot of problems in the world. If everyone was peace and easy, the world would be better for sure, that's the message I want to share."
"I'm happy because everything should have been more fun. There are too many troubles in the world, and if everyone can have a relaxed and humorous mentality, the world will be a better place, and this is what I want to bring to everyone. ”
Before soaring into the spotlight on Monday, the head-to-toe big cat suit was already a viral sensation on social media outside of China after its owner, Swiss snowboarder Nicolas Huber, wore the tiger disguise during his downtime at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou.
Before it became a hot spot on the Internet on the 14th, this heavily armed tiger suit had already been on fire on the social media of Swiss snowboarder Nicholas Huber. Huber once wore this tiger suit when he was resting in Zhangjiakou Genting Snow Mountain Park.
Swiss snowboarder Nicolas Huber
So Lefevre borrowed the suit from Huber, adding flair to her otherwise ordinary jumps off the towering ramp at Shougang Industrial Park in Beijing.
This eye-catching tiger suit was borrowed by Lefebvre from Huber, adding to the sights of her injured movements on the Shougang Ski Jump.
Lefevre performed the first of her three runs in her standard Team France jacket, before breaking out the tiger suit for her second and third runs. Lefevre scratched at the air for run 2, but after watching a replay, realized the motion just looked funny in mittens. So on her final run, she waved toward the judges' tower instead.
Lefebvre played in france's ski suit in the first round of the qualifiers, and changed into a tiger suit in the last two rounds. Lefebvre waved her little tiger claw in the air during the second round of qualifiers, but after watching the replay, she thought the action looked a bit funny. So in the final jump, he chose to wave in the direction of the referee's tower.
"It was not super beautiful," she said of her claws. "So I decided for the last one to just say Hi to the judges. And especially the French one, because it's a friend of mine."
"It's not particularly good-looking," she said of her "little tiger paw," "so I decided to say 'Hi' to the referee in the final jump, especially to the French referee, because that was my friend." ”
Asked why Huber had the costume to begin with, Lefevre explained that "he's a crazy man, actually". The 27-year-old Huber has been wearing the outfit for a series of videos on his Instagram account, apparently inspired by Lunar New Year celebrations that overlapped with the start of the Winter Games.
When asked why Huber would wear the dress, Lefebfer explained, "He's a very lively man, really. Huber, 27, posted several videos of him dressed in tiger costumes on his social platforms, both inspired by the celebration of the Chinese New Year in the lunar calendar and timing the opening of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
"I asked yesterday if he can give it to me for the day, a special day for me," Lefevre said. "And he said, 'Yes, of course.'"
"I asked him yesterday if he could borrow clothes for me for a day, a special day for me." Lefebvre said. "He said, 'Of course you can.'"
The two-time Olympian was unperturbed at finishing bottom of the qualification standings, considering simply competing in the Chinese capital was a victory in itself.
Lefebvre, who is already the patriarch of the two Winter Olympics, is at the bottom of the qualifying round, but still plays easily. She felt that competing in Beijing was a victory in itself.
Lefevre was diagnosed with osteochondrosis, a rare illness that stunts bone growth, at 3 years old. She had three operations, and doctors told her sports were off the table.
Lefebvre was diagnosed with hypochondriasis at the age of 3, a rare disease that hinders bone growth. She had three surgeries and the doctor told her she couldn't exercise.
"But then I went snowboarding and made progress. And I'm here (at the Winter Olympics) for the second time," she said.
"But then I went skiing and it got better and better. To date, I have participated in two Olympic Games. ”
Ranked as high as seventh in the World Cup rankings in slopestyle, Lefevre has carved out a successful sporting career as a pro snowboarder but came to a decision a year ago that her body could not quite sustain the challenging nature of the high-flying sport anymore.
Lefebvre finished seventh in the World Cup in the slope obstacle course. As a professional skier, she has already achieved success in her sporting career. But a year ago, her body could no longer withstand the sport of skiing at heights.
What happens next? The Upper Alps native plans to enjoy time with her father at his sailing school.
What's next? Born in Briancon, France, lefiver, embraced by the Alps, plans to go to her father's sailing school.
"I may train baby snowboarders," she added.
"I might teach kids to ski."
Source: China Daily Bilingual News