Calgary, AB – Mikaël Kingsbury (CAN) continues to solidify his legacy as the all-time FIS male World Cup leader, claiming his 92nd World Cup victory and his second consecutive win of the season. Kingsbury dominated the individual moguls competition final in Idre Fjäll with a score of 87.92, edging out Japan’s Ikuma Horishima by two points in a tightly contested super final.
“I’m super happy to have my second one,” said Kingsbury. “I think I had tiny mistakes, but overall I did a very good double full and a good ten. I was very strong in my skiing today.”
The victory comes as Kingsbury sets his sights on Saturday’s Dual Mogul competition, a format he’s particularly fond of. “It’s my favorite,” he said. “I won here last year in duals, and it was amazing. It’s a great course, fast and exciting. I’ll have a good night of sleep and be ready for tomorrow.”
On the women’s side, Maia Schwinghammer (CAN) delivered an outstanding performance to clinch her second career World Cup podium with a bronze medal finish. As the first skier to tackle the super final, she posted an impressive score of 80.71. Her podium finish is a significant rebound after narrowly missing out last week in Ruka, where she finished fourth. “I am really happy with my day, it’s a step in the right direction,” Schwinghammer said. “And so proud of our performance as a team, we’ve been working hard and it’s starting to show!” Australia’s Jakara Anthony took the gold, with France’s Perrine Laffont close behind in second place.
“Maia made significant improvements from F1 into F2, which allowed her to put down her best run of the day,” said Canadian coach Jim Schiman. “It’s her first podium in individual moguls after her previous second place in duals, and we’re all thrilled with her progress.”
The Canadian team had an incredible showing, with seven athletes advancing to the finals. Julien Viel led the men with an 8th-place finish, followed by Sam Cordell in 12th and Sam Goodison in 13th, both making their first finals appearances of the season. On the women’s side, Laurianne Desmarais-Gilbert finished 11th and Jessica Linton 13th, both also achieving their first finals appearances of the season. Dufresne narrowly missed the cut for the finals, finishing 18th. Vaillancourt placed 24th, while Beaulieu was unable to finish (DNF).
“It was a good day for Team Canada here in Idre Fjäll,” said Schiman. “Mik’s incredible comeback run in F2 was inspiring, and the team as a whole showed great resilience and skill. We’re looking forward to carrying this momentum into the duals tomorrow.”
Mikaël Kingsbury showcased his skill and determination with a come-from-behind run to claim gold after finishing third in the semifinals. Sweden’s Walter Walberg took third place, while France’s Benjamin Cavet, who entered the super final as the top seed after winning the semifinals, finished fourth. Kingsbury’s performance puts him at the top of the overall World Cup standings heading into Saturday’s dual mogul event.
