Mikaël Kingsbury
| — Alpine skier — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Kingsbury at the 2015 FIS World Cup Finals in Megève. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
July 24, 1992 Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup debut |
January 1, 2010 (age 17) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 1 (2014) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 1 (0 gold) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 3 (2011–2015) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 6 (2 gold) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 7 (2010 to 2016) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 33 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Podiums | 53 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 5 (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 5 - Moguls (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Mikaël Kingsbury (born 24 July 1992) is a Canadian freestyle skier from Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec, and one of the most accomplished moguls skiers of all-time. He first reached notoriety when he received the 2009–10 FIS World Cup Rookie of the Year award. He is the five-time reigning FIS Freestyle World Cup title holder for both moguls and overall freestyle, owning the record for most men's Moguls World Cup titles while sharing the record for Overall Freestyle World Cup titles with Éric Laboureix. He also own the records for career men's World Cup moguls victories with 33, and consecutive Freestyle World Cup event wins with 7.[1][2] He is the only man to have won both the moguls and dual moguls World Championship events, and has won more medals at the Freestyle World Championships than any other man, having won a medal in each of the six events he has competed in. Kingsbury also won an Olympic silver medal in 2014.
Career
Early success
After several seasons of competition in the Nor-Am Cup, Kingsbury enjoyed much greater success in 2010, winning 4 moguls and 1 dual moguls event before finishing the year on the World Cup circuit with two consecutive 4th-place finishes. For these efforts, he was named the 2009–10 FIS World Cup Rookie of the Year.[3]
Kingsbury earned his first World Cup podium in the first moguls event of his first full World Cup season, then followed this up with his first World Cup win on December 21, 2010.[4] With the victory, he became the first 18-year-old to win a FIS Freestyle World Cup event.[5]
Kingsbury continued his breakthrough season with one more World Cup event win and 5 additional medals, finishing the 2010–11 FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup season 4th overall and 3rd in the moguls discipline, behind countryman Alexandre Bilodeau and winner Guilbaut Colas. In the midst of this season, he competed in his first 2011 FIS World Championships, and began with a bronze medal in the moguls event behind Bilodeau and winner Colas.[6] In the dual moguls event, Kingsbury fell in the final pairing, again finishing behind Bilodeau, this time for the silver medal. Reflecting on his first World Championships, Kingsbury stated: "I never thought at the beginning of the season that I'd be able to be two times on the podium at Deer Valley, the hardest course in the world. Alex, since I was young was my example to follow, it's awesome to be in the final against him."[7]
First World Cup and World Championship titles
Kingsbury won six consecutive World Cup events to start the 2011-2012 season.[8] While the streak ended with a second-place finish in the next event, Kingsbury became only the second man to podium at every FIS freestyle competition in a season, with eight golds, four silvers, and a bronze. In doing so, he won his first FIS Freestyle Crystal Globe for moguls, as well as the overall Crystal Globe for all freestyle disciplines.[9] "I never thought I would've been able to do this at 19 years old," Kingsbury later remarked. "But this season I've skied great, I've been consistent every race and I think that was the key for me."[10]
To date, this remains his most successful World Cup season in terms of wins, podiums, and points, and his achievements during the season broke or matched several FIS records. Kingsbury's 90.77 overall points were the most achieved in a men's FIS Freestyle World Cup season since 2003. With 1180 of a maximum of 1300 points in moguls, he set a men's FIS Freestyle World Cup record for the most points in a season in an individual discipline. He became the youngest male mogul skier to win a Crystal Globe, and set a record for the most podiums in a season (13), in addition to matching the record held by American Jeremy Bloom for the most consecutive World Cup wins at six.[9]
Mikael added six victories in the 2012-13 season, in addition to one 2nd-place and two 3rd-place finishes for a total of 9 podiums in 12 events. His performance earned him both his second FIS title in moguls, as well as his second consecutive overall Crystal Globe.
At the 2013 FIS Frestyle World Ski Championships, Kingsbury won his first World Championship title in the moguls event after he also qualified first; teammate Bilodeau placed second. This was the opportunity Kingsbury had been waiting his life for he said that "I have been waiting a while for this and dreaming about the day that I would earn the world championship title. I worked hard all summer to get to this day and I’m very happy. When I woke up this morning I was in a world championship mood. I felt perfect. My body was perfect, so I knew it could be today."[11] Kingsbury next competed in the dual moguls finals where he would find himself in the final matchup against teammate Bilodeau again. He again failed to beat him, this still left him as the silver medalist completing a second double medal World Championships.[12]
Surpassing Brassard
During the 2013-14 season, Mikael began the season with 3 consecutive victories. However, Canadian teammate Bilodeau, who had finished 2nd in each of the first three races, experienced a resurgence and won the next 3 world cup events to overtake Kingsbury in both FIS World Cup Moguls and overall standings.
At the Sochi Olympics, Kingsbury had a small stumble in his final run to finish with 24.71, finishing second to Bilodeau's 26.31, and collecting his first Olympic medal.[13] After winning his first Olympic medal Kingsbury said "I was going for gold, but just to be on the podium is crazy and I am with my teammate, it's just unbelievable."[13] Based on his World Cup results he was a gold medal favourite but Kingsbury was surpassed by Bilodeau who surprised again for gold.
Following the Olympic performance, Kingsbury finished 3rd, 1st, and 4th, respectively, in the next 3 events, while Bilodeau finished 4th, 9th, and 2nd, setting up an important dual moguls final between the two rivals in the second last event of the season, on March 16, 2014. At the age of 21, Kingsbury defeated Bilodeau in the final for his 21st career win, in the process moving him past childhood role-model Jean-Luc Brassard for most World Cup wins by a Canadian (during this same event, Bilodeau's silver medal tied Brassard for most World Cup medals by a Canadian).[14]
Entering the final event of the season, Kingsbury now led Bilodeau by 3 points for the Men's overall freestyle title, and by 31 points for the Men's mogul's title. In the final event, the two once again faced off in the dual moguls final. Bilodeau retired with a win over Kingsbury, stating that he was "really honoured to have [his] last run against the best in the world." [15] Kingsbury added another silver medal, and ultimately edged Bilodeau by 1 point for the overall freestyle title and 11 points for the Men's mogul title; at 890 points and 879 points respectively, Kingsbury and Bilodeau finished the season with double the points of third overall Patrick Deneen.[16]
World Cup Record
The FIS had suggested prior to the start of the 2014-15 season that "with Bilodeau now out of the picture, the story of the... season will be whether somebody, anybody, will be able to challenge Mikael Kingsbury's claim to moguls supremacy." [17] Kingsbury answered this question with what the Canadian Freestyle Association considered to be "arguably one of the most prolific and impressive seasons in freestyle history," [18] punctuated by a 19-16 victory over teammate Philippe Marquis in the dual moguls finals of the 8th event of the World Cup season in Tazawako, Japan. In doing so, Kingsbury won his record 7th straight FIS World Cup moguls event after starting the season with a disappointing 9th-place finish, and broke the previous record of six consecutive wins that he had shared with Jeremy Bloom.[18] This win was also the 28th FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup victory of Kingsbury’s young career, tying him with Frenchman Edgar Grospiron for first on the all-time list. At age 22, Kingsbury reached the milestone in 60 World Cup events compared to Grospiron's 78.[18]
By this point Kingsbury had already clinched his 4th straight moguls season title after winning the moguls event in Tazawako the day prior. Unfortunately, in the final event of the season, he suffered an uncharacteristic crash in his quarter final heat and finished 8th.[19] Despite falling short, his performance helped Canada claim the moguls Nations Cup and the FIS Freestyle overall Nations cup, the latter in an incredibly tight battle finishing only 54 points ahead of the USA. Kingbsury also finished the day with the moguls and Freestyle overall crystal globes for the fourth straight season.[20]
In the midst of his successful World Cup season, Kingsbury won his first World Championship title in the dual moguls event, over Canadian teammates Philippe Marquis and Marc-Antoine Gagnon. This was the first time a country has swept the podium in the history of the dual moguls event at World Championships. He was unable to defend his gold in the moguls event, finishing second to Anthony Benna after finishing first in qualification and leading into Final 2.[21] His 2nd place showing still ensured that his streak of six consecutive podium finishes at the World Championships would continue.
Kingsbury had to wait nearly 9 months for another opportunity to set the men's record for World Cup moguls skiing victories. He made good on this chance at the season-opening dual moguls event in Finland, by defeating teammate Philippe Marquis 27-8 in the semifinal and Benjamin Cavet of France 20-15 in the finals.[1]
Results
World Cup results
| Tournament | Discipline | Events Started | Best Finish | Wins | Podiums | Points | Final Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | Moguls | 5/10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 116 | 22 |
| 2010-11 | Moguls | 11/11 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 725 |  |
| 2011-12 | Moguls | 13/13 | 1 | 8 | 13 | 1180 |  |
| 2012-13 | Moguls | 12/12 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 940 | |
| 2013-14 | Moguls | 11/11 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 890 | |
| 2014-15 | Moguls | 9/9 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 761 | |
| 2015-16 | Moguls | 8/8 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 705 | |
| 2009-10 | Overall | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 12 | 64 |
| 2010-11 | Overall | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 66 | 4 |
| 2011-12 | Overall | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 91 | |
| 2012-13 | Overall | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 78 | |
| 2013-14 | Overall | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 81 | |
| 2014-15 | Overall | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 85 | |
| 2015-16 | Overall | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 88 | |
World Cup victories (33)
World Championship results
| Date | Location | Discipline | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2, 2011 | Deer Valley, Utah, United States | Moguls | 2011 Freestyle World Championships | Bronze |
| February 5, 2011 | Deer Valley, Utah, United States | Dual Moguls | 2011 Freestyle World Championships | Silver |
| March 6, 2013 | Voss-Myrdalen, Norway | Moguls | 2013 Freestyle World Championships | Gold |
| March 8, 2013 | Voss-Myrdalen, Norway | Dual Moguls | 2013 Freestyle World Championships | Silver |
| January 18, 2015 | Kreischberg, Austria | Moguls | 2015 Freestyle World Championships | Silver |
| January 19, 2015 | Kreischberg, Austria | Dual Moguls | 2015 Freestyle World Championships | Gold |
References
- 1 2 "Mikael Kingsbury moves into top spot on World Cup moguls wins list". CBC Sports. 2015-12-12. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
- ↑ "Mikael Kingsbury ties all-time moguls World Cup wins mark". CBC Sports. 2015-03-01. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
- ↑ "Mikaël Kingsbury". Freestyle Skiing Canada. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- ↑ "Kingsbury leads 4-medal charge by Canadian freestyle team". CBC Sports. 2010-12-21. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
- ↑ "2010: the year of "First timers"". FIS Freestyle World Cup. 2010-12-21. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
- ↑ "Retiring Heil wins moguls world title". CBC Sports. 2 February 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
- ↑ Terry Bell (6 February 2011). "Night races bring four more medals". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 2011-06-02.
- ↑ "Canadians Kingsbury and Bilodeau finish 1–2 in World Cup moguls". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- 1 2 "Canada takes four medals at mogul finals". Canadian Freestyle Ski Association. March 18, 2012.
- ↑ "Canada's Kingsbury ends dual moguls season with silver". CBC Sports. March 18, 2012.
- ↑ "Canada's Kingsbury wins moguls world title, Bilodeau 2nd". CBC Sports. March 6, 2013.
- ↑ "Canada's Bilodeau, Dufour-Lapointe win dual moguls world championships". CBC Sports. March 8, 2013.
- 1 2 "Canada's Alex Bilodeau wins moguls gold, teammate Mikael Kingsbury takes silver". CBC Sports. February 10, 2014.
- ↑ The Canadian Press (March 16, 2014). "Kingsbury breaks Canadian record for World Cup mogul wins". The Sports Network.
- ↑ The Canadian Press (March 21, 2014). "Mikael Kingsbury wins moguls title, Alex Bilodeau retires with win". CBC Sports.
- ↑ "Cup Standings". International Ski Federation. Retrieved 2014-12-22.
- ↑ "Mikael Kingsbury". International Ski Federation. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
- 1 2 3 "Kingsbury ties all-time FIS World Cup mogul wins record". The Canadian Freestyle Ski Association. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
- ↑ "Mikael Kingsbury wins 4th straight moguls season title". The Canadian Press.
- ↑ "Megeve dual moguls caps off 2014/15 World Cup season". International Ski Federation.
- ↑ Callum Ng. "Canadian roundup: Moguls skiers win six medals at World Championships". Olympic.ca.
- 1 2 "FIS Profile". International Ski Federation. Retrieved 2014-12-22.