Mikael Kingsbury falls short again at world championships
The Canadian Press | Posted: March 9, 2017 2:02 PM | Last Updated: March 9, 2017
Canadian star bounced early in dual moguls event
A disappointing world championships came to an end for Mikael Kingsbury on Thursday when he was eliminated in the round of 16 in the dual moguls final.
The 24-year-old Canadian star arrived in Sierra Nevada, Spain as the favourite to win gold in both the moguls and dual moguls events, but he leaves with only a bronze.
Kingsbury, the world's top moguls skier and a six-time World Cup champion, came into the world championships with a record seven consecutive moguls victories before finishing third in that competition on Wednesday.
On Thursday the Deux-Montagnes, Que., native didn't come close to the podium in dual moguls, losing his round-of-16 matchup against Japan's Ikuma Horishima, who went on to win the event for his second gold medal in as many days.
The silver went to American Bradley Wilson, and Switzerland's Marco Tade took bronze.
Canada's Philippe Marquis was eliminated in the round of 16.
The freestyle ski world championships are held every two years. In 2015, Kingsbury won gold in dual moguls and took silver in moguls. In 2013, he did the reverse.
Kingsbury took silver in moguls at the 2014 Olympics. Dual moguls is not an Olympic event.
Despite the disappointing ending, Kingsbury said he's pleased with his season.
"I don't want to put the world championship in the shadow of my season," he said. "I had such an amazing season, my best ever.
"I feel like I'm [going] in the right direction for the Olympics next year. The course in Pyeongchang is a good course for me."
Canadian women bounced early
France's Perrine Laffont won the women's dual moguls event Thursday, with Kazakhstan's Julia Galysheva taking silver and American Jaelin Kauff getting bronze.
Canada's Justine Dufour-Lapointe, who won bronze in moguls on Wednesday, was eliminated in the round of 16, as was her sister Chloe Dufour-Lapointe and fellow Canadian Andi Naude.