Mikaël Kingsbury takes dual moguls in Sweden for 67th World Cup victory
Canadian narrowly beats Japan's Ikuma Horishima, who won Saturday's moguls event
Mikaël Kingsbury is back in familiar surroundings atop the medal podium.
Competing in the dual moguls season opener on Sunday, the native of Deux-Montagnes, Que., scored 19.00 to beat Ikuma Horishima (16.00) in the big final a day after the Japanese athlete defeated the Canadian for the eighth time in the moguls super final event.
"I feel really good, that's for sure. I was disappointed to miss the super final," Kingsbury stated in a Freestyle Canada news release. "I made a stupid mistake, but that served as motivation to come back stronger and ski better today. Sunday.
The reigning Olympic and world champion ripped through the second section of the course to lead his opponent by 3-100ths of a second at the finish line for his 67th World Cup victory and 95th podium finish.
WATCH | Kingsbury prevails in big final of dual moguls season opener:
"It's always exciting to race against Ikuma, he's one of the very best skiers in the world and I love competing against him. It's always very close and this race was no exception; it was really amazing," said Kingsburgy, who will now turn his focus to next weekend's Alpe d'Huez World Cup in France.
The 29-year-old finished an uncharacteristic eighth at the World Cup event on Saturday in Idre Fjäll.
Horishima's victory on Saturday was his eighth over Kingsbury, who is pursuing a 10th consecutive World Cup season title.
One-sided semifinal
Kingsbury defeated Martin Suire of France in the round of 16 before downing Bradley Wilson of the United States 22.00-13.00 in the quarter-finals.
The semifinals was more one-sided, with Kingsbury disposing of Sweden's Oskar Elofsson 26.00-9.00.
Rounding out the Canadian contingent was Gabriel Dufresne (17th), Jordan Kober (24th), Brenden Kelly (25th), Kerrian Chunlaud (26th) and Elliot Vaillancourt (51st), all of whom failed to advance from the qualifying rounds.
Sofiane Gagnon of Whistler, B.C., delivered the best result of the day for Canadian women, placing seventh after losing to three-time world champion French athlete Perrine Laffont in the quarter-finals.
Laffont went on to beat Japan's Rino Yanagimoto in the grand final, while Australia's Jakara Anthony defeated American Olivia Giaccio for bronze.
Montreal sisters Justine and Chloé Dufour-Lapointe lost to Yanagimoto and Laffont, respectively, in the round of 16 to finish 11th and 13th.
2018 Olympic silver medallist breaks collarbone
Australian skier Matt Graham has seen his hopes of a second Olympic medal-winning performance in Beijing in February suffer a serious blow after undergoing surgery for a broken collarbone.
Graham, who won moguls silver in Pyeongchang, South Korea, crashed during a training run in Idre Fjäll ahead of Saturday's competition.
The 27-year-old snapped two bones, according to Australian Associated Press, and will recuperate in Sydney after undergoing surgery in Sweden.
Graham had been in fourth place after qualifying but did not compete in the finals because of the crash.
With files from Reuters
