“Freestyle skiing is like being in a car accident every weekend.”
Former world champion Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau has a strong image. However, it is a perfect example of why he admires Mikaël Kingsbury, now eight times world champion, for his long and successful mogul career.
• Also read: Mikaël Kingsbury, undisputed double world champion
“The way he keeps his body healthy is phenomenal,” said Rousseau, who had his moment of glory with a world title in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, in March 2007.
motivation vectors
Beyond the physical aspect, Rousseau sees in Kingsbury an athlete who has perfectly mastered the psychological side associated with high-performance sport.
“He knows and understands his brain, he knows how to do his best at big events,” notes Rousseau. Mikaël has the gift of finding his motivation vectors to aim for wins.
Kingsbury’s double at the Freestyle Skiing World Championships in Georgia last weekend is good proof of that.
“There is an age progression and there are also competitors who copy it,” added the former freestyle skier, explaining why Kingsbury’s achievements are so exceptional. With the opponents growing up trying to emulate him, Mikaël is certainly finding it harder to win than before.
Yet disadvantaged in Georgia
Rousseau addresses another interesting point, especially for the last World Cup weekend.
“The track was extremely easy with small jumps, Mikaël didn’t like that,” he emphasized. The more difficult a track, the more Mikaël stands out from the rest.”
After all, is Kingsbury the greatest athlete in Quebec history?
“It depends. When we talk about who has the most influence at the population level, of course you have to think of a man like Maurice Richard, says Rousseau. But in terms of statistics, we can expand to the international level. Even the greats like Roger Federer, Tiger Woods and Co. would like to have Mikaël’s statistics for the number of victories per event played.
File photo Max Rossi / Portal
Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau, 2007 World Champion, to Madonna Di Campiglio.
- Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau remains one of only three male freestyle skiers in Canada to win the individual at the World Championships, along with Mikaël Kingsbury and Jean-Luc Brassard. At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Rousseau also placed fifth in a race crowning Alexandre Bilodeau.