Skip to content

Andi Naude gets Olympic nod

Andi Naude has achieved her dream of going to the Olympics.
web1_170412-PWN-Andi-Naude
Andi Naude of Penticton and an alumni of the Apex Freestyle Club has been provisionally nominated to Team Canada for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games thanks to her 2016-2017 season results. T-world/Taro Tampo

Andi Naude has achieved her dream of going to the Olympics.

A dream she had since Grade one.

“I remember writing the list of what do you want to be when you grow up,” said Naude. “I remember writing down I want to go to the Olympic Games, but I had no idea what sport. I had no idea, winter or summer. It has always been in the back of my mind. That has always driven me in sport. It just so happened I found mogul skiing. The journey has been amazing.”

Freestyle Canada unveiled the athletes provisionally nominated to Team Canada Tuesday for the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang. Naude will be joined by Justine Dufour-Lapointe and Mikaël Kingsbury as they have all met the “Method A” selection criteria.

While Naude didn’t have any athletes she idolized, she credits Summerland’s Kristi Richards for helping her reach this achievement.

“She grew up at Apex and skied Apex. I think it was always in reach,” said Naude. “She made it seem like my goal was in reach. I really owe it to her for that.”

Naude, however, credits her family first and foremost as they have provided a lot of support. They never pushed her too much and said she wouldn’t be where she is without them. She also credited her incredible coaches, who have always been behind her.

“The stress of qualification has been relieved, and for this I am incredibly grateful,” said Naude. “I can now take a deep breath and really focus on being the best athlete I can be. It is an absolute honour to be nominated to Team Canada.

“I remember last time going into Sochi, it was a week up until the Games that we were fighting for spots,” she continued. “I can really just focus on what I have to do to be the best athlete I can be this summer.”

MORE: Naude ready for Spain World Championship

Freestyle Canada’s Athlete Nomination Procedures: Method A. According to the regulations set out in the 2018 Freestyle Ski Team Internal Procedures policy, a limited number of athletes are provisionally selected to the COC in 2016–2017 based on their results at the Grand Prix for the selection of Canadian athletes for the Olympic Winter Games competitions. A maximum of three eligible athletes per discipline (maximum of two per gender) can be nominated to the COC based on these competitions.

The Grand Prix for the selection of Canadian athletes for the Olympic Winter Games included the following competitions for the mogul skiers:

FIS World Cup, Val Saint-Côme, CAN – January 2017

FIS World Cup, Calgary, CAN – January 2017

FIS World Cup, Bokwang, Korea – February 2017

FIS World Championships, Sierra Nevada, Spain – March 2017

According to Method A, to be provisionally nominated to the COC, eligible athletes must obtain a minimum of two podiums in their freestyle events at the selected competitions. Athletes must use at least one result obtained at the 2017 FIS World Ski Championships or at the test event during the World Cup in Korea in 2017 for their two best performances on the podium.