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Vancouver, February 10, 2023 – Freestyle Canada is proud to announce the names of the athletes who will represent Canada at the Freestyle Ski World Championships, being held in Bakuriani, Georgia, from February 19 to March 5. The team will vie for 39 medals in Moguls, Dual Moguls, Aerials, Team Aerials, Halfpipe, Slopestyle and Big Air during the event. “Freestyle Canada is keenly looking forward to these upcoming World Championships in Georgia. The team and its athletes have a rich history of success at this event and this teams strength should continue that legacy. The event proves as an important marker on our pathway to the next Winter Olympic Games in Milano/Cortina, Italy 2026,” said Peter Judge, chief executive officer of Freestyle Canada. Twenty-six Canadian skiers will compete in one of the four disciplines featured at the 2023 World Championships. The athletes are:
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The Canadian delegation will once again be led by two-time defending single and dual moguls world champion Mikaël Kingsbury. The athlete from Deux-Montagnes, who has had eight podium finishes in nine competitions this season, will attempt to add to his current total of 11 World Championships medals. In the halfpipe, Rachael Karker and Brendan Mackay will be looking to cap off very successful seasons while in Georgia. Karker, the current World Cup runner-up and this year’s winner of the Crystal Globe, will be looking for a fifth Top Three finish in as many races this season. Mackay, who is ranked second in the men’s halfpipe final standings, has won three silver medals to date this year and will be seeking nothing less than gold in Bakuriani. Simon d’Artois, who finished second in Aspen in 2021, will also be in the running. As will his teammate Marion Thénault, who holds provisional second place in aerials with three medals this season, including one gold. She will be joined by Miha Fontaine, with whom she won bronze in the team competition at the Beijing Olympic Games last February. Olivia Asselin, Megan Oldham, Max Moffat and Noah Porter MacLennan, all of whom have won at least one World Cup medal this season, will lead the charge in slopestyle and Big Air. Freestyle Canada selected the athletes on the basis of their performances during the 2022-23 season. Priority was given to skiers who had been previously identified at designated events. This will be the 19th edition of the World Championships spanning back to the inaugural event in Tignes, France 1986. Over that span the event has grown significantly from competition in 6 events and 18 medals up for grabs to now 13 events and 39 medals that the Canadian team will be eyeing to own. Canadian team athletes have historically had their share of success winning 101 medals and will have contenders in each of the disciplines. These firsts World Championships since COVID-19 pandemic will begin on February 19, with the team aerials event on opening day. It will conclude two weeks later with the women’s and men’s Big Air finals. It will For more information on the event, visit fis-ski.com. Canadians will be able to follow the action live via CBC. |
