French snowboarder Lucile Lefevre took “Eye of the Tiger” to another level on Monday in the Big Air event.
After sustaining an injury in last week's slopestyle competition, Lefevre said she still wanted to compete in the Big Air before retiring from the sport.
Despite not being able to complete tricks due to the injury, in the end, Lefevre showed that she had earned her stripes
On her first jump off the 155-foot ramp, Lefevre waved to the cameras while wearing her standard French jacket. But she broke out the tiger onesie for her second jump, pawing at the crowd. On what was presumably the final jump of her Olympic career, Lefevre then waved goodbye to the sport before her retirement.
“It was not super beautiful,” she told the Associated Press. “So I decided for the last one to just say hi to the judges. And especially the French one, because it’s a friend of mine.”
Lefevre said that she asked snowboarder Nicolas Huber to borrow the Tiger onesie after the Swiss athlete brought the costume to Beijing to celebrate the year of the tiger and Chinese New Year.
“He's a crazy man actually,” Lefevre said. “I asked yesterday if [Huber] can give it to me for the day, a special day for me. And he said ‘Yes, of course.’”
Without completing any tricks, Lefevre finished last in the competition, but it's clear she went out with a bang—or, roar.
