Mikaël Kingsbury captures dual moguls gold in 1st event since Beijing Olympics
3-time Olympic medallist defeats reigning moguls champ Wallberg, rival Horishima
Mikaël Kingsbury of Deux-Montagnes, Que., gained a measure of revenge against Walter Wallberg, upending the 2022 Olympic moguls champion to win Saturday's dual event in World Cup action in Valmalenco, Italy.
It was the first race for Kingsbury since capturing a moguls silver medal at the Winter Games in Beijing last month to become the first male freestyle skier to earn three Olympic medals.
"It feels great to win today, especially after the Olympics and the break that followed," the 29-year-old said. "This is not my favourite type of course, especially with the smaller bumps, but I managed to do well and I'm very happy."
The 2018 Olympic gold medallist amassed 82.18 points in his Feb. 5 performance in China, trailing Wallberg of Sweden, who scored 83.23 at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou, China, for his first major win on the senior circuit.
WATCH | Kingsbury picks up 72nd victory in 102 World Cup events:
Kingsbury was attempting to become the second men's moguls skier to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals after fellow Canadian Alex Bilodeau achieved the feat in 2010 and 2014.
Kingsbury's win Saturday was his fifth of the season and 72nd on the World Cup circuit in 102 competitions. He is attempting to win a 10th straight Crystal Globe as overall season winner.
The Canadian remains atop the overall moguls standings with 872 points.
WATCH | Kingsbury has insatiable appetite for winning:
Japan's Ikuma Horishima, Kingsbury's friend who won Olympic bronze last month, was second on Saturday following a crash after landing his first jump in the final. He is second to Kingsbury in the World Cup standings, 92 points behind.
Gabriel Dufresne of Joliette, Que., Elliot Vaillancourt of Drummondville, Que., Alexandre Lavoie of Lac-Beauport, Que., Brenden Kelly of Pemberton, B.C., and Jordan Kober of Penticton, B.C. were all eliminated in the round of 32.
In the women's event, Saskatoon's Maia Schwinghammer defeated Sofiane Gagnon of Whistler, B.C., in the first elimination round before being beaten by eventual gold-medal winner Jakara Anthony of Australia. Valerie Gilbert of Sainte-Adele, Que., was 14th while Laurianne Desmarais-Gilbert of Sainte-Adele and Berkley Brown of Aurora, Ont., were 17th and 20th, respectively.
Canada's Moffatt awarded slopestyle silver in France
Elsewhere on Saturday, Max Moffatt of Caledon, Ont., won a slopestyle silver medal in unusual circumstances in Tignes, France.
Due to high winds, the event organizers were forced to cancel the final and the 23-year-old clinched his second silver medal of the season with a strong qualifying run.
"Unfortunately, there was a lot of wind today and it wasn't safe to ski. This wasn't really the way I had hoped to win a medal this weekend, but it is what it is," Moffatt, who earned 87.25 points in Thursday's qualifier, told Freestyle Canada.
"Everyone would have preferred to ski, but the health and safety of the athletes was the top priority, so it was the right decision."
Norway's Birk Ruud won the competition with a qualifying score of 88.50 points, while Sweden's Jesper Tjader placed third (86.00).
Four other Canadians competed, led by Bruce Oldham of Parry Sound, Ont., who placed 16th. Calgary's Mark Hendrickson (18th), Quebec City's Dylan Deschamps (36th) and Philippe Langevin of Mont-Tremblant, Que. (41st) were the others, while Evan McEachran of Oakville, Ont., did not compete.
The women's final on Saturday and Friday's qualifiers were cancelled, meaning Megan Oldham (Parry Sound) and Olivia Asselin (Lévis, Que.) also didn't compete.
The final World Cup event of the slopestyle season is slated for March 24-26 in Silvaplana, Switzerland.
"It's always nice to end the season in Switzerland. The course and the jumps are spectacular," Moffatt said. "The stakes will be high."
With files from The Canadian Press
