If he was once his great opponent on the slopes, Alexandre Bilodeau was among the first to send a text message to Mikaël Kingsbury to congratulate him on his two new titles obtained at the World Championships during the weekend.
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“It’s nice to see that, it’s a guy like Mik who will get young people to be active, whether in freestyle skiing, in other sports or even in other disciplines, brilliantly argued Bilodeau, taking care to put his vacation in Western Canada on a break on Sunday, the time for an interview. A guy like him comes to allow young people to dream.
Regarding Kingsbury’s eight world titles, the double Olympic champion in this same discipline has all his respect for his fellow Quebecer.
“It has never been equaled, it is grandiose, qualified Bilodeau, who has personally been crowned three times in a row in parallel (2009, 2011 and 2013). What you have to understand is that the Worlds only take place once every two years. It’s an important meeting, a bit like the mini-Olympic Games. And Mikaël manages to perform blow after blow.”
“Mikael is aging and continues to win despite his age, also noted Bilodeau, about the 30-year-old skier. It proves the athlete and the person he is. From experience, I can also say that being at the top is the hardest part because you want to stay there. For everyone on the circuit, it is the objective to catch up with Mikaël. He has to be mature.”
A model for Kingsbury
Before retiring in 2014, two years after beating Kingsbury at the Sochi Olympics, Bilodeau was just the target for the young Mik.
“Alex Bilodeau was a model, recognized Kingsbury on Sunday. He is one of those who paved the way for me.”
“I hate to compare sports or eras, but what Mikaël does is exceptional,” added Bilodeau.