SAINT-COME | The unthinkable happened on Friday at the World Cup in Val Saint-Côme when three-time Olympic champion Mikaël Kingsbury fell in the final and finished 13th.
• Also read: Val-Saint-Côme World Championship: a great experience for three Quebecers who are experiencing their baptism in major racing
The “King of Moguls” had high expectations in front of his family, but he missed the landing during his jump at the top of the mountain, ruining his chances of victory and podium.
Mikaël Kingsbury, for his part, fell in the first moments of his descent and thus lost the super final. We see him here getting up after falling. Photo Didier Debusschere
“It’s a shame to fall at home,” Kingsbury said. I would have liked it better if it had happened in Georgia. I'm keeping my head up and will have another chance in the duel tomorrow. I'm not worried. »
“The King of Moguls” recovered with his second jump. Photo Didier Debusscher
Believing his first jump was too short, Kingsbury opened too quickly and got into trouble.
“To err is human,” he summarized. I misjudged my landing. Last year I finished 29th in France, but they were two similar days. This saves the spice for the end of the season in the race for the crystal ball. »
Photo Didier Debusschere
With his 13th place, the 31-year-old Quebecer slipped to second place in the cumulative solo ranking.
A crying father
With his fourth place on Friday, Japan's Ikuma Horishima climbed to the top with a lead of 10 points.
Michel Hamelin is not worried about his protégé.
“It's rare for Mik to make a mistake like this and he'll bounce back,” said the head coach of the Canadian team. The duel is his strength. »
For his part, Elliot Vaillancourt took over brilliantly. The Drummondville worker took second place, securing the second top three of his career.
“This second podium tastes different in front of my family and friends,” he imagined. It was shocking to see my father crying after the race. Winning at home in front of a Canadian crowd is very special. In France nobody knew who I was with my starting number 56.”
However, the day started badly for Vaillancourt, who finished 15th in qualifying and only narrowly made it into the top 16.
“It's unfortunate because I'm used to 15th place. I have to get my big stuff out early. It will be good for my heart health. I made a mistake on the top jump and lost a few points. »
The reigning Olympic champion, Swede Walter Wallberg, achieved the first individual victory of his career at the World Championships.
His compatriot Filip Gravenfors completed the podium.
A seventh Quebecer
Louis-David Chalifoux made it into the top 10 for the fifth time of the season with seventh place, narrowly missing out on the super final, in which the top six come together.
“I had two good runs and I’m super happy. It's a good result. »
Local hero Gabriel Dufresne took 12th place in the final after being 16th and last for a long time in qualifying. He was the first to leave.
“I am happy to have reached the final in front of the people who came to see me,” he said. It was stressful in qualifying. I didn't wish my opponents bad luck, but I didn't want them to overtake me. I hope I don't experience a situation like this again. »
Difficult exit
With a good start to the season and seventh place in the overall standings, Julien Viel did not achieve the desired result in qualifying.
“I made a lot of mistakes and didn’t have the descent I expected,” he summarized. I'm glad I had the opportunity to ski in front of my family and friends. It was a magical moment, regardless of my result. »
In mom's arms
After a difficult first half of the season, Laurianne Desmarais-Gilbert performed well in front of her surroundings and showed her best performance. She reached her first final of the campaign, placing 12th in the women's event. She gave her mother a long hug after confirming her place in the final.
“I’m really proud of myself,” she said. I had a difficult start to the season and it was a huge relief to come back strong without letting it get me down. I showed that I'm still good. »
The Australian Jakara Anthony won. Canadian Maia Schwinghammer, second after qualifying, fell in the final.
►The World Cup continues on Saturday with the mogul races taking place in parallel.