(Ruka) Mikaël Kingsbury started the freestyle skiing World Cup moguls season by obtaining bronze on Saturday.
The Deux-Montagnes athlete collected 79.08 points, finishing behind Japan’s Hikuma Horishima (82.68) and Sweden’s Walter Wallberg (79.88).
“I felt in good shape,” Kingsbury said, via video conference.
“I did well in qualifying, I broke the ice well. I trained well, I was confident. I had a really good first round, where I could have been given a better score. I jumped well but I didn’t get all the points that I think I deserved. It put me in a slightly different position going forward. »
Kingsbury was the Olympic champion in 2018 in PyeongChang, South Korea.
“I’m a little disappointed with my performance [Saturday], but it’s still good learning,” added the Quebecer. It puts fire in my eyes for the races to come.
“There’s nothing better than taking the yellow jersey to start a season, but I feel like I still have the momentum. »
He has 10 World Cup moguls titles to his name, including three moguls and dual moguls doubles.
Kingsbury is entering his 15th season at the World Cup.
At 31, he is the oldest on the men’s side.
He was dominant last season with two gold medals at the Worlds and three World Cup crystal globes.
Kingsbury is the World Cup record holder with 80 wins and 115 podiums.
Julien Viel, from Quebec, obtained eighth position.
The World Cup season began in Ruka, Finland for a fourth year in a row.
The next competition will take place next weekend in Idre Fjall, Sweden.
The December mogul schedule also includes stops at Alpe d’Huez in France and Bakuriani, Georgia.
Val Saint-Côme, in Lanaudière, will host events on January 19 and 20.