World Championships follow one another and look the same for Mikaël Kingsbury. The athlete from Deux-Montagnes was imperial Sunday morning during the parallel event and was crowned world champion in both ski races for his third consecutive world championship.
In 2019, and then in 2021, he won gold in singles and parallel. He again hit the powerhouse in 2023. So Kingsbury has been undefeated for six years at the World Championships.
So it was fitting that the hero greeted the media with a pint of beer in hand, a smile on his face, and exclaimed: “Cheers!
His good mood was contagious. Upon reaching the bottom of the track, he remembers cheering up and telling himself, “You’ve done it again, Mick!”.
Exactly, he did it again. It has practically become a formality. However, he maintains that he is as hungry as he was in the beginning and still has great ambitions even if he has already won it all.
Why not make four consecutive worlds with victories? That would set the table for a fourth Olympic Games.
Michael Kingsbury
Kingsbury’s mental coach, Jean-François Menard, texted him the morning of the competition to remind him that with Sunday’s victory, he could get his hands on 10 world gold medals. A goal that he can reach in 2025, a year before the next Winter Games, the goals of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
The problem is that Kingsbury gave everything the day before during the individual event.
“I’ve never done that, but I took a Red Bull before the round of 16. […] I no longer have a battery.”
However, he remains “in love” with his lifestyle and maintains that he has as much fun as when he first started in the ring.
Hollywood finale
Often slower than his rivals in earlier rounds, Kingsbury managed to cross the finish line ahead of Swede Walter Wahlberg in the final. His method did the rest. 19-16 defeated the defending Olympic champion, despite a slight loss of control at the halfway point.
Did this little clash make him doubt the outcome of the duel? No. I knew I was going to win, because my skating quality is superior to Walter’s [Wallberg]. »
Kingsbury was glad to have defeated his good friend Wahlberg. “If I could pick a final match, I would do it against him,” said the King of Emperors, who is still looking for compensation after his second-place finish at the Beijing Olympics.
With a big smile Kingsbury received the referee of the final. He held his sled at the ends of his arms before giving a hug to his fellow Canadians, who welcomed him with joy.
Kingsbury climbed to the top of the podium for the eighth time in his football career. This is his fourth victory in parallel.
The World Championship is a major semi-annual competition. This was Kingsbury’s seventh world in 12 years.
However, Quebec was hot in the semi-finals. He won by one point over Kazakhstan’s Pavel Kolmakov in Bakuriani, Georgia. Dressed in white with a yellow bib, the athlete graced the Tour de France by being the leader from start to finish.
Australian Matt Graham beat Kolmakov in the bronze medal final.
Dressed in the Canadian flag in a cape, the 30-year-old took to the stage before raising his fists to celebrate his victory. Unlike his skaters, he not only kept his helmet, but re-attached it. Longevity must be taken seriously.
“I am lighter and stronger than last year,” the Olympic gold medalist assures. Previously, athletes of my age were at the end of their careers. Now with the technology and care that we have, I am physically ready for this Olympics. »
Quebec’s Gabriel Dufresne and Julien Veil finished 5th, respectivelyH and 16H rank. Dufresne was defeated by Kolmakov in the quarterfinals.
Perrin lafont still in gold
Among the women, France’s Perrine Lafont has also achieved a double at the World Championships. She was victorious the day before in singles, and beat American Jaylen Kauff in the final. This is the fifth gold medal at the World Championships for Font.
Austrian Avital Carroll rounded out the podium, which was a cut and paste from Saturday’s event.
Canadian Maïa Schwinghammer fell in the quarterfinals and finished with 8H place. For her part, Quebec’s Lorient Desmarais Gilbert saw her career finish with 10H Center after losing in the round of 16.
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