Calgary, AB – After a sudden World Cup schedule adjustment due to the cancellation of the Alpe d’Huez Moguls and Dual Moguls events, the Canadian team had to switch gears, instead spending an additional week training in Idre Fjall prior to heading to Bakuriani, Georgia for the final World Cups of 2024. This extra preparation paid off, with Mikaël Kingsbury once again proving why he’s a dominant force in the sport.
Kingsbury added another medal to his career, securing silver in the Moguls event at the Bakuriani World Cup in Georgia. Kingsbury, who dominated the qualifying round, faced a setback in the first final (“F1”) after missing a grab on his ski during a jump, resulting in a lower score. Despite the error, he advanced to the super final in fifth position, leaving himself a challenge to reach the podium. Kingsbury delivered a strong performance in the super final, earning silver behind Benjamin Cavet (FRA) who claimed gold with a spectacular run. Severi Vierela (FIN) rounded the podium in third. With this result, Kingsbury retains the yellow bib as the overall World Cup leader.
The competition took place under challenging conditions, with fresh snow and schedule adjustments through the week. However, clear weather for the men’s finals and women’s event on December 20th allowed for fair competition, thanks to a deeper snowpack and excellent trail preparation by the event crew.
Canada’s Maia Schwinghammer also delivered a strong performance, finishing second in both qualifying and the first final round. Unfortunately, a mistake before the second air in the super final forced her to break form, resulting in a sixth-place finish.
“Maia was going for the win today and just went a little too fast,” said coach Jim Schiman. “She’s made huge gains this summer and is absolutely a medal contender on the World Cup circuit.”
Other Canadian results in the men’s event included Julien Viel finished in 10th and Gabriel Dufresne in 12th after advancing to the finals. Elliot Vaillancourt placed 22nd, Samuel Goodison 35th, Sam Cordell 37th, and Charles Beaulieu 48th.
In the women’s event, Laurianne Desmarais-Gilbert represented Canada in the finals, finishing 16th, while Jessica Linton earned a 21st-place result.
Bakuriani continues tomorrow, December 21st, with Men’s and Women’s Dual Moguls, marking the last Moguls World Cup event of 2024 before the holiday break.
