Freestyle Skiing World Cup | Mikaël Kingsbury's winning streak ends at five

(Montreal) Gold medalist in the first two stages of the calendar, Mikaël Kingsbury reached the podium for a third time in as many individual events on Friday. The Quebecer was only beaten by Frenchman Benjamin Cavet at the World Cup in Bakouriani, Georgia.

The only Canadian to start the final round, Kingsbury amassed 82.93 points and headed to 132^e podium of his career in the World Cup. Benjamin Cavet collected 84.08 points to sign his first victory since his triumph at the Idre Fjäll stage in December 2020, an event where Kingsbury was conspicuous by his absence due to injury.

“The conditions were not easy today (Friday) and the track is particularly long. I landed two good jumps in the super final, my score was a little lower than I would have hoped. It was close to another victory, but it was a little short. I’m happy to have gone for big points in the standings,” commented Mikaël Kingsbury.

Finland's Severi Vierela (80.80 points) took third place and was on the podium for the first time in his World Cup career.

Julien Viel and Gabriel Dufresne participated in the first final, finishing 10th respectively^e et 12^e. Elliot Vaillancourt took 22^e qualifying rank, while rookie Charles Beaulieu ranked 48^e.

The “King of Moguls” had finished first in the qualifications held the day before to secure his place in the first final. He then placed fifth in that heat and ensured he skied for a medal.

“In the first final, I missed my hold on the bottom jump and I received a score of 3.1 for that maneuver, which isn't very good, but it's what I deserved. My skiing was still great clean and that helped me reach the super final,” he said.

The athlete from Deux-Montagnes is still at the top of the provisional general ranking with 280 points, 80 more than his closest pursuer, Benjamin Cavet. The Swede Walter Wallberg and the Japanese Ikuma Horishima, who accompanied the Quebecer on the podium in Ruka and Idre Fjäll, follow with 190 and 158 points.

Laurianne Desmarais-Gilbert on the right track

On the women's side, Laurianne Desmarais-Gilbert participated in a final for the second time this season on Friday. She took the 16^e rank after falling during his descent.

In qualifying, the athlete from Sainte-Adèle was ranked 13^e thanks to his 63.57 points.

“The track is very difficult in Bakouriani, the top section is steep, the first jump is special and the track measures 280 meters, it's huge! I'm quite happy with my descent in qualifying, despite a small mistake in the top jump. In the final, after the first jump, I held on, I tried to fight to stay upright, but the track finally got the better of me. It’s disappointing, but considering the difficulty of the track, I learn from my mistakes,” commented Laurianne Desmarais-Gilbert in an interview with Sportcom.

Even if she obviously hoped for a better outcome, the Quebecer says she is encouraged by her two most recent outings, she who finished 11^e à Idre Fjäll.

“When I do things well, I know I have everything to reach the first final. I had a disappointment in Ruka at the very beginning of the year, but with two finals after that, I think I'm on the right track. This is not the last time we see me reaching the final this year. »

American Olivia Giaccio (80.19 points) won gold. She was accompanied on the podium by Frenchwoman Perrine Laffont (76.53 points) and Jaelin Kauf (76.13 points), also from the United States.

Skiers will return to the slopes on Saturday for the first duels of the season, the parallel events having been canceled at Idre Fjäll and Alpe d'Huez earlier this year.

“Dueling is exciting! I know I don't have to be perfect, I have to give it my all, get to the bottom and anything can happen. I don't necessarily have specific goals, I think I'm capable of getting to at least the round of 16, but I think I can aim for even more than a top 16 this time,” concluded the 27-year-old skier.