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Marie-Hélène Prémont (born October 24, 1977) is a Canadian cross-country mountain biker. She is a 6-time Canadian Champion, represented Canada twice at the Olympics (2004, winning a silver medal, and 2008), a Commonwealth Games gold medalist, and from 2004 to 2008 was a regular medal winner on the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup cross country circuit.
External linksCareer[edit]
Born) in Quebec City, Quebec, Prémont rode for Oryx/Procycle from 1999–2004, and Mont-Velo/Liken. From June 2004 through 2008, and in 2012 she rode for the Rocky Mountain Bikes race team. For the 2009-2011 seasons she rode for the Maxxis-Rocky Mountain Team. She has been a member of the Canadian National team since 2000.[1]
She has won the Canadian National Elite Women's Championship in 2003,[2] 2004,[3] 2005,[4] 2006,[5] 2007,[6] and 2008.[7]
She won a bronze in the 2003 World Cup circuit in Kaprun, Austria. At the 2004 Summer Olympics she won a silver medal. She won three silver medals in the 2004 World Cup Circuit in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec,[8] Fort William, Scotland[9] and Livigno, Italy.[10] She won two gold medals in the 2005 World Cup circuit in Spa Francorchamps, Belgium[11] and Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec.[12] She won two gold medals in the 2006 World Cup circuit at Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec[13] and Schladming, Austria,[14] and a bronze medal in the 2006 World Championships in Rotorua, New Zealand.[15] At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne,[16] she won the gold medal. She won 3 silver medals in the 2007 World Cup season at Offenburg, Germany,[17] St.Felicien, Quebec,[18] and Maribor, Slovenia,[19] and finished the 2007 World Cup season in 2nd place overall.
She had her best season ever in 2008[20] with two gold medals at Fort William[21] and Mont-Sainte-Anne,[22] three silver and three bronze medals and claiming first place overall after eight of the nine races of the 2008 WC season. She was the only woman to win a medal in every World Cup race she entered. At the 2008 Beijing Games, she was forced to retire from the race due to hyperventilation.[23]
Marie-Hélène Prémont, representing the Maxxis-Rocky Mountain Team in 2009, after finishing second at the Canadian National MTB Championships in Canmore, Alberta
She decided to postpone retirement and race again in 2009.[24] By Madrid[25] she was back to her usual pace, finishing second just 4 seconds back after swapping the lead with Marga Fullana throughout the race. At Mont-Sainte-Anne in the 5th race of 2009, Marie was the victim of a flat and a fork lockout problem that resulted in a 10th-place finish, and a 13th place in XCO#6 at Bromont after some breathing difficulties limited her climbing ability.[26] Marie finished on the podium again in 5th at the final 2009 World Cup Race in Schladming,[27] finishing the World Cup season in 6th place overall.
After a battery of breathing tests in early August 2009, Marie was diagnosed with exercise induced asthma, first occurring at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 (likely ozone induced since the onset was sudden), and continuing to be a problem through most of the 2009 season. She now has a therapeutic use exception for the use of a Ventolin inhaler in competition.[28][29]
2010 was a season that combined good fitness and performance with bad luck. There were podium finishes with a 4th at Offenburg[30] and a silver medal in a tightly contested battle at Windham, NY.[31]
At an April 2011 Rocky Mountain Bicycles press conference in Quebec City, Marie-Hélène announced that she would continue to compete on the World Cup circuit through the 2012 season with a goal of competing at the 2012 London Olympic Games.[32]
2011 saw three podium finishes, in Offenburg,[33] Mont Sainte-Anne[34] and Windham.[35]
She did not compete in the 2012 Olympics.
On Feb 27, 2013 she announced that she would be taking a sabbatical from MTB racing as she was pregnant with her first child.[36]
She returned to competitive racing in 2014 for two races, the Canada Cup, taking Bronze, and the World Cup in August.[37]
On August 5, 2016 it was announced that Premont will be inducted into The Canadian Cycling Hall of Fame. [38]
She formally announced her retirement from competition on October 16, 2016. [39]