Kevin Rolland: “I’m proud to finish in a great competition”

“You are happy to this 7th place and this final ?
The result, the place is anecdotal. I’m very happy with the way I rode. I’m very happy to see that I’m leaving halfpipe skiing like this. International halfpipe skiing is in good shape, we saw some incredible runs today. I was very proud to be a part of the show, I was far from being ridiculous. I rode 99.9% today, so I’m happy!

Is it a successful bet, this return one year after the Olympics?
Yes, bet and challenge successful. I felt in good shape, at ease in the pipe despite the fact that I haven’t done a lot of it and that I haven’t competed in a year. I felt like I could still perform and that’s what I did. Afterwards, today we had exceptional conditions, no wind, the pipe was fast. I knew it wasn’t working in my favor (laughs). As a result, my experience could have been used if the weather was capricious and everyone struggled. Maybe I could have done better. Today everyone was 100%, me too. I am proud to finish on a great competition.

There were a few emotions this morning and at the start?
There was a bit of emotion, of course, especially before the last run. Because I knew it was the last. I didn’t really know how to handle this emotion, if it would boost me or not. I fell on the last run, so I don’t know if it’s because of that, but it’s sure that sometimes the emotion takes the juice.

What feeling dominates two hours after this final?
I feel good (smile). I feel relieved to have done the job, to have also proved that I am capable, that when I say something, I do it, I don’t say things in the air. If I feel competitive, that’s because I am.

And the fact of saying that this is your last competition, what does it do?
I don’t know… It’s kinda weird to me. But it’s not a disaster because all my plans are still in freestyle, I still have a lot of things to do (particularly video projects). For me, I don’t feel like I’m stopping my career. I don’t see it as if it was finished, quite the contrary. I want to ski even more. I was kind of confined to the halfpipe for 17 years with hardly the possibility of doing the other things well. There, I want to explore skiing in all its glory.

You also finish with two solid runs, without a big fall.
Casually, I’ve been skiing for 4/5 days and I haven’t had a real fall. I didn’t fall, I always stayed on my feet. And that’s also encouraging, it proves that acrobatically speaking, everything is there. It gives me confidence for the future. All the end of the season, I have lots of things to do on video. The fact of practicing in the halfpipe, to see that I am solid, that I stand up, acrobatically speaking loudly, it comforts me and it gives me confidence to finish my season. It’s not a competitive season, but it’s a season nonetheless. »