I think I'm a rebel.
A bit of a party animal.
His motto was "ski, sex and rock 'n' roll".
We thought, "He's different."
He raised his sport up and showed us all.
I was ready for any circumstance.
(LEGENDS LIVE ON)
(ACCORHOTELS ARENA, PARIS)
Friends, please help me welcome to the stage
the triple world champion and gold medalist
Edgar Grospiron!
Thank you.
I wish...my guidance counselor in Annecy could see me now!
I still remember her writing in my report card.
"Grospiron, what are we going to do with you?" I said, "I
"don't know about you, but I'm going to be world champion!"
(CALGARY 1988)
In Calgary 88, moguls are a demonstration sport.
For me, it's the founding moment.
They have to prove to the Olympics,
that this new sport has its place in the Olympics.
He finishes third. He's not the best but he's a hit.
He puts on a show at the end.
I started playing with my poles,
like I was conducting the fans, making them do the wave.
I think on that day in Calgary, Grospiron was born on moguls
and moguls were born in the Olympics.
Bronze medal - Edgar Grospiron for France.
His main strength is his sense of play,
and his desire to share, his style of skiing,
his discipline, etc.
That's his true strength.
He's generous in the way he skis or competes.
He changes our perception of skiing.
It becomes, with Edgar, the game it was when we were kids.
Edgar was a freestyler, laid back, a joker,
and a bit of a party animal.
His motto was "ski, sex and rock 'n' roll".
He seems easy-going, but no: everything is calculated.
It's written out, structured. Nothing's left to chance!
Mogul skiing is physically demanding.
We were always working out, training, stretching...
We'd ski for four hours, then train for for hours. Every day.
He was never satisfied by his skiing.
He didn't care how long it took to try again.
But he always had fun.
(ALBERTVILLE 1992)
The '92 Olympics are here. He's the favourite.
Just before the Olympics, I said,
"Edgar, be careful. You need to step things up!"
Like a smart-ass, I say, "You can already publish the result.
"I'm going to win."
(GOLD MEDAL RACE, MOGULS MEN)
I'm in my office at 8am and I see big snowflakes falling.
The conditions are bad. We're warming up and Killy calls me.
I said, "Are you OK with these
"flakes the size of five-franc coins?"
I say, "Jean-Claude, let me call you back."
Nano calls me over. He says, "What do we do?"
Edgar goes crazy. "Today's the day!"
I was ready. Falling snow didn't bother me.
I was ready for any circumstance!
I'm at the gate.
Deep down, I try to stay calm.
I know where all the traps are, where to go fast and slow.
I was on a mission and just did my thing.
Like he's invincible. He was totally prepared.
The weather was terrible,
but he skied like it was a clear day.
He crossed the finish line and pumped his fist.
I thought, "He won."
When you cross the finish line, you're relieved.
It's like you're high. You're on a cloud.
Everyone was watching us, there was so much pressure.
It was a moment of great joy.
He's having a blast. Everyone's happy.
Everyone wants to thank him.
He adds a lot of humanity.
- Mr. Edgar! - How are you, Yvan?
- Fine, and you? - How are you, Romain?
- Good, and you? - Great!
- So? - I'm happy to be here.
- Happy to be home? - Of course!
I still get dozens of customers every season who talk about it.
It really left its mark.
And it revealed the sport to a lot of kids who...
It made them dream.
They started pursuing it.
The great thing is that it started here and ended here.
It passed on the torch, and the idea is to continue passing it.
(PYEONGCHANG 2018)
It was two years before the Sochi Olympics,
we needed funding and Edgar helped us out.
It allowed me to participate in my first Olympics at age 15
and, four years later, to win gold.
I created my association to help young people who had no
sponsor or funding to fulfill their dream.
It's a beautiful story -
the former gold medalist supports the new generation
and the new generation wins gold.
The more you have to share, the more interesting you are.
So, you can trust him. And love him.
Because you don't meet people like that every day.