Mikaël Kingsbury edges Alex Bilodeau to win World Cup Ruka moguls
Canada’s moguls team had a great weekend in Finland, with 21-year-old Mikaël Kingsbury edging teammate and 2010 Olympic champion Alex Bilodeau on the men’s side. Montreal’s Justine Dufour-Lapointe skied to a silver in women’s competition.
The two Canadian men were very close in terms of technical and air, but Kingsbury was fastest to the bottom which made the difference.
“It was crazy, competing for the whole day against Alex (Bilodeau) is so demanding and tough. We’ve pushed the whole day, and it was cool that I was able to put out my best run right in the superfinal. The day’s done and now I’m finally going home for Christmas,” said Kingsbury in a FIS release.
The course in Carezza, Italy has been a place of success for Quebec’s Caroline Calvé. It’s where she won her first World Cup event back in 2011 and on Saturday she added a second victory there.
In the Parallel Slalom Calvé edged Russia’s Ekaterina Tudegesheva by 0.06 of a second. It is the third World Cup win of her career.
Canada’s star bobsledders Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse won their second gold medal of the season, ahead of three US sleds in Lake Placid, NY.
Combining great starts and good track consistency, the pair won with a combined time of one minute, 53.66.
“It was nice to have Heather back in the sled today,” said Humphries. “She didn’t push all week and then today comes in and we have the two fastest starts. I think it shows the comfort we both have for each other.”
Alex Gough won a bronze in the final World Cup luge event before the holiday break, in Park City, Utah.
A two-run time of one minute, 27.889 was good enough for her third medal of the season.
“Overall I’m really happy with where I’m at,” said Gough in a release. “I just need to build on what I’ve been doing. I want to maintain my strength, continue to have good starts and be in a good head space for the final four races after Christmas.”
Mark McMorris proved why he’s the man to beat as the gold medal favourite when snowboard slopestyle makes its Olympic debut at Sochi 2014.
In the final event of the Dew Tour iON Mountain Championships, McMorris dominated the competition, scoring 95.00 on his first run, which featured his signature straight double backflip (known as The Wildcat) before closing with a backside 1080 double cork.
