Marion Thénault discovered aerial freestyle skiing thanks to RBC Training Ground and won an Olympic medal in the sport four years later.SUPPLIED
When Marion Thénault stood on the podium at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, a bronze medal around her neck for the inaugural Olympic mixed team aerials event, the moment hardly felt real. Four years earlier, she had been a gymnast approaching the end of her competitive career. She didn’t own skis. She had never tried freestyle skiing. Now, she was representing Canada on the world’s biggest stage.
“Everything went so quickly that it really did feel surreal,” Thénault says. “But, it was also an honour because I was representing my country, my team and aerials in Canada.”
Thénault was 17 when she received an email about an RBC Training Ground event in her hometown of Sherbrooke, Que., in April, 2017. She was curious enough to register but had no idea what to expect.
RBC Training Ground has changed the game for how Team Canada recruits future Olympic talent. Any Canadian athlete between 14 and 25 can participate in a free event, held yearly across the country, even if they have zero experience in high-performance sport. Now entering its 11th season, the program has discovered potential in over 20,000 young athletes.
Thénault was just 17 when scouts recognized her potential at an RBC Training Ground qualifying event in her hometown, Sherbrooke, Que.SUPPLIED
At the event, Thénault and other young athletes completed a series of physical tests including sprints, jumps and free weight pull exercises. A freestyle skiing coach spotted her gymnastics background and invited her to try aerials, where skiers launch off a ramp to perform acrobatic tricks mid-air.
“I had to Google what he was talking about because I didn’t know about the sport,” Thénault says. A few months later, she tried freestyle skiing for the first time at a water ramp training facility near Québec City. “I rapidly understood that I could find a place in this sport.”
Working hard and learning fast
Thénault says that as a gymnast, the twisting and spinning in the air for aerials was familiar to her – just in a new environment with different technique.
“I had to learn how to ski, but it was all so exciting because I was learning very fast and becoming good at it very fast,” she says.
RBC funded Thénault’s career through the RBC Training Ground and RBC Future Olympian program – a benefit she says was invaluable for someone just finishing high school. “It was vital for me to have that support, because I’m not sure how my parents would have done it without that funding.”
Thénault says her involvement with RBC Training Ground has been life changing. “I didn't expect [it] to have such a profound impact on my life, but it really did.”SUPPLIED
When Thénault made it to Canada’s national aerials team, she began receiving government funding through Sport Canada and entered the RBC Olympians program, which she remains part of today. Beyond the funding, Thénault says partnering with RBC has helped her understand what it means to be a professional athlete outside of the field of play. She’s taken part in speaking and networking opportunities provided to her by the bank that help her build her personal brand.
Supporting the next generation
Another big part of RBC’s support is mentorship, Thénault says. Experienced Olympians are equipped with coaching skills, then paired with emerging athletes so they can help them through the technical and emotional challenges of elite sport.
Thénault now serves as a mentor to RBC Future Olympians Rosalie Simard and Alexandra Montminy. Both are former gymnasts turned freestyle skiers who were also discovered through RBC Training Ground events.
“I was literally in their place not that long ago,” Thénault said. “So, I can help them when they talk to me about their realities because I know exactly how it feels.”
Thénault performs mid-air maneuvers during a jump.SUPPLIED
She spends time with her mentees both on and off the slopes, building relationships so they feel comfortable coming to her with any challenges they face through life as elite athletes.
“They know that they can come to me with anything,” Thénault says. “They think that their struggles are unique to them and that nobody else has the same struggles, but a lot of athletes go through them.”
For example, balancing education and high-level athletic competition can be demanding, but as someone currently studying aerospace engineering at Concordia University while training and competing, Thénault has plenty of experience doing both simultaneously.
A program with a ‘profound impact’
Thénault says she is excited to compete again in the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games. Meanwhile, her tight-knit community of gymnasts-turned-skiers will cheer her on from the sidelines and organize a watch party wherever they are.
Looking back on her involvement with RBC Training Ground, Thénault says it’s been life changing. “I didn’t expect RBC Training Ground to have such a profound impact on my life, but it really did, because it made me discover a new sport,” she says.
She has this advice for young athletes considering giving it a try: “I would strongly encourage it because there is nothing to lose. It’s all positive.”
Wondering if you or someone you know has the potential to become an Olympic athlete? Canadian athletes aged 14 to 25 can register for a free RBC Training Ground qualifying event at rbctrainingground.ca.
Advertising feature produced by Globe Content Studio with RBC. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.