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Antoine Ready For Olympics

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Matt Antoine proudly displays his bronze medal which he won in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. (Photo by Mary Antoine)

 

Antoine excited about his second Olympic Games

By Ted Pennekamp

 

Most people in Prairie du Chien and the surrounding area have been showing a keen interest of late regarding hometown athlete Matt Antoine and his quest for a second Winter Olympic medal in men’s skeleton.

Recently, Antoine, 32, a 2003 Prairie du Chien High School graduate, was in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for a pre-Olympic camp with the focus upon peaking in his training program. He is now in South Korea and continuing to prepare.

“A lot of work has been going into the push start this week to be ready for Korea,” said Antoine who changed sleds towards the end of the World Cup season in order to fine tune and get better times.

“There’s been a lot of equipment changes that I’ve made this season but each week has been an opportunity to test new set-ups and learn, with the goal of having the optimal set-up in Korea,” said Antoine. “I’m confident that I’ve found what I need and will be ready for the Olympic race.”

The XXIII Olympic Winter Games will be held in Pyeongchang County, South Korea from Feb. 9 to Feb. 25. This will be Antoine’s second Winter Olympics, which will hopefully give him a boost in his run for a second Olympic medal. Antoine raced to a bronze medal in 2014 in Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia.

“I think this being my second Olympics, there are lot less unknowns,” said Antoine. “That can have its advantages and disadvantages, but I know what I need to do to be prepared for the race and there is little that should come as a surprise to me.”

Antoine is America’s number one men’s skeleton racer, and, while he is focused upon being in peak form, he is also a leader for his teammates. “I think athletes do look at me for leadership,” he said. “I’m more of the quiet type of leader, I speak more with my actions.”

The Olympics is an event on a grand scale but Antoine said he is not distracted from what he needs to do. “The Olympics are an exciting experience, but I’m fairly good at creating the separation between the spectacle of it all and then the job at hand,” he said. “I’ll enjoy experiences when I can, but I know what I need to do day to day.”

Being an Olympic athlete takes years of hard work and dedication, but also a lot of support from coaches, trainers and teammates as well as numerous family members and excited fans who will be cheering Matt on.

“I greatly appreciate everyone’s support back home and it gets me excited to see how excited everyone else is about the Olympics! It’s what makes it all worth it,” Matt said. “I hope everyone enjoys watching all the competitors during the two weeks!”

A group of Matt’s most ardent fans will be going to Gangneung, South Korea and will be cheering wildly as they watch him go for the gold.

“There are 10 of us going to the Winter Olympics,” said Matt’s mother Mary Antoine. “My sister, Margaret, my daughter Elise and her husband and two daughters, my son Nick and his wife and her parents are all going. We will arrive in Korea a couple of days before the opening ceremony and stay for two weeks.”

In addition to watching Matt, Mary and the rest of the clan will also take in various other events.

“Besides the opening ceremony and men’s skeleton, we all will see women’s skeleton,” said Mary. “We will also watch other competitions although not all of us together. These include figure skating, hockey, snowboarding, skiing and curling. All of us are staying in Gangneung, where the coastal venues are being held.” 

While the focus is upon the Olympics, Mary said that a good part of the trip will involve experiencing the South Korean culture.

“All of us are looking forward to the Winter Olympics and seeing a new country and culture,” said Mary. “My two granddaughters are particularly excited. My daughter fixed them a Korean dinner with which they used chopsticks for the first time. Lots of laughs. I want to visit some temples. Some people are going to Seoul, and there is talk about a tour to the Demilitarized Zone.”

The opening ceremony begins on Friday, Feb. 9 at 8 p.m., South Korea time. Mary noted, however, that South Korea is 14 hours ahead of Prairie du Chien. Matt will be sliding on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 10 a.m. and Friday, Feb. 16 at 9:30 a.m., South Korea time.

As of this writing, NBC is planning to broadcast the men’s skeleton live. One source for fans is to look on the NBC Olympics website NBCOlympics.com for broadcast times, which are always subject to change.

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