The next few months promise to be exciting for Mikaël Kingsbury. The undisputed king of moguls will soon start a new season in the World Cup. Then there will be the Olympics. The Quebecer feels attacked and ready to repeat his exploits.
The 29-year-old answered questions from the media on Wednesday afternoon on the eve of his departure for Sweden, where he will take part in a 10-day training camp. He will then head to Ruka, Finland, for his first World Cup event of the season, December 2-4.
In 2020-2021, Kingsbury only competed in two World Cup events with a fractured two thoracic vertebrae. Even though he won both, he couldn’t amass enough points on the circuit to get his 10e Crystal Globe, awarded annually to the best skier of the season.
But never mind. Here he is in great health and ready to attack the new season, he who has already accumulated 93 podiums in 111 World Cup appearances.
“I am 29 years old, I have put so many hours in my sport over the past 12 years that now my muscle memory allows me to return to the level I want very quickly,” he said. from the outset.
“Certainly we didn’t have as many days on the snow as during my preparation for 2018. It was a lot harder to find snow in the offseason, but I’m feeling really good right now. The skiing is fine, and so is the body. ”
This is the third time that Mikaël Kingsbury has had an Olympic year. He knows what to expect. His goal is to start the season on the right foot, and arrive in the Chinese capital in top form in February. He already has a good idea of the jumps he wants to achieve in Beijing, even if he is aware that several factors could change his plans.
“Of course I am getting ready to reproduce my Olympic downhill as often as possible at the start of the season,” he said. I want to try to create momentum. I have always been good at the start of the season. I don’t think too much about the Olympics at the moment. ”
PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, PRESS ARCHIVES
Mikael kingsbury
“I don’t want to sell the bear skin before I kill it,” he adds. I think most of the world knows what jumps I can do and I have a lot of guns in my back pocket. Of course, the full 1080 double downhill is the one I won most often and it’s still the downhill that could win the Olympics. After that, it’s to see what strategy my competitors will use at the start of the season. ”
No stress
The best mogul skier of all time already has two Olympic medals to his name, one gold and one silver. It is the first time that he will go to the Games with a league title to defend. But the native of Deux-Montagnes, who has always known how to shine, whatever the size of the competition, does not see it as an additional source of stress. On the contrary.
“I find that I have less pressure because I have already done it,” he recalls. […] I don’t feel like I’m going to defend my Olympic gold medal. I have a great opportunity to win a second one, but I know that I will be Olympic champion for the rest of my life. It’s fun to be in the position I am in because I will be competing against a lot of other athletes who have never won an Olympic gold medal. ”
“I had a lot of fun in PyeongChang, but now I know how to do it and I’m going to have a little more fun with the process,” he continues. Normally when I have fun I have better performances. ”
For the Beijing Games, the athletes were unable to take part in test events, in order to test the ski slope. This will therefore be a surprise for all athletes from all countries, except those from China, of course.
“We’re going to have to adapt really quickly and I think that’s one of my strengths,” Kingsbury said. I like having to cope quickly and I think the key thing for me will be not to panic when I see the track. We don’t know if it will be difficult or easy, so I always prepare for the worst. ”
The skier has nevertheless always excelled on the Chinese slopes, he assures us. The snow reminds him of that of Quebec, on which he grew up.
“It will be difficult for everyone and usually when it’s difficult it’s a little better for me. ”