Calgary, AB – Over four days of competition in Beidahu, China, Canadian freestyle skiers tested their strategies and skills in preparation for the 2025 World Championships in March. While medals were the goal, the key takeaway from any performance is learning from each experience to improve in future events. The Canadians achieved this across moguls, dual moguls, aerials, and aerial team events.
In seven World Cup events hosted in Beidahu, the Canadian team gave it their all. On the first day, veteran skier Kingsbury earned a hard-fought silver medal in the single moguls event, facing his rival and friend, Japan’s Horishima. Kingsbury remained positive about his performance:
“I tried to push in the superfinal, and it was close. I don’t have the words right now, but I’m pleased with what I’ve done. It’s another podium, though I wished it was (first). I’m excited for Duals tomorrow. I’ve been doing well. I’m going to rest and come out very hungry tomorrow,” he said.
Kingsbury’s performance was complemented by teammates Julien Viel and Sam Cordell, who finished 5th and 8th respectively in the finals. For Cordell, this marked his best-ever World Cup result.
Day two brought the dual mogul event, where Viel continued his impressive run with his second medal of the year, earning bronze after a tough battle with American Nick Page. Kingsbury finished in 8th place. In a historic moment for Finland, Severi Vierela won the gold, marking the country’s first mogul title in 18 years.
On the aerial side, the Canadian jumpers showed strong individual performances. Miha Fontaine set a new World Cup personal best with a 4th-place finish bettering his 5th place at home in Quebec in 2023. Alexandre Duchaine impressed with his consistency, rounding out the event in 8th place.
The weekend concluded with the aerial team event, where the Canadian trio of Marion Thenault, Lewis Irving, and Alexandre Duchaine excelled. They narrowly edged out the Chinese Olympic champion team by 5/100s in the first final. Ultimately, the Canadians had to settle for 4th place in the big final. Highlights included Duchaine’s clutch performance on both jumps and Thenault’s continued progress, culminating in a triple twisting triple flip—the next step in her performance evolution.
The strong performances from the Canadian athletes in Beidahu show the team is on track for Worlds. The Freestyle Canada Mogul and Aerial teams will compete next in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from February 28 to March 2.
