Mikaël Kingsbury has already written his name in large letters in the book of freestyle skiing records. However, he is not yet satisfied.
Posted at 11:35 a.m.
After winning nine consecutive Crystal Globes from 2012 to 2020, being on the top step of the World Cup podium 71 times – in 100 podiums! —, the King of moguls will try to become the first man to get his hands on a third Olympic medal at the Beijing Games.
After silver in Sochi (2014) and gold in PyeongChang (2018), he will try to repeat the feat of his compatriot Alexandre Bilodeau by successfully defending his Olympic title on the slopes of Secret Garden, next February 5.
“He has a target on his back; he is being prosecuted, believes his trainer, Michel Hamelin. We analyze what others are doing, but above all we make sure to look at what we can do to improve, so that we are always ahead of the others.
“It’s clear that he is a gifted among the gifted, adds Hamelin. We’ve had some good ones in the past: Jean-Luc Brassard, Lloyd Moseley, Janne Lahtela, Dale Begg-Smith, Alexandre Bilodeau. But it’s not even comparable to Mik. They may not even have accomplished half of what Mik accomplished. »
If he were to stand on the podium in Beijing, he would join the Norwegian Kari Traa, the only hard worker to have won three medals at the Olympics.
“It would mean a lot to me to win a third Olympic medal,” Kingsbury confirmed recently. I don’t want to win it just to end up in the record books. Statistics and records are cool, but I don’t really like them. That’s not my motivation. »
And his main opponents – the Japanese Ikuma Horishima, the Swede Walter Wallberg, the Frenchman Benjamin Cavet and the Australian Matt Graham, identifies Kingsbury – just have to watch out: the hard worker from Deux-Montagnes does not feel pressure ahead of the Games.
“On the contrary, I find that I have less pressure, because I have already done it. During the last Olympic preparation, I got a lot of talk about it. It was the only gold medal I missed. This time, I rather see the opportunity to win a second one.
“I’m in a great position: I’m still going to be an Olympic champion and I’m fighting against athletes who want to win their first Olympic title. I know what it’s like to be at the top of the course and pushing for the win.
“It will be easier mentally this time. Without saying it wasn’t fun in Korea, I think it’s going to be a more fun process this time around and I have good results when I’m having fun. »
Challenges
To have fun, the 29-year-old athlete needs challenges. Even in training.
“Challenging Mik is a challenge in itself,” says Hamelin. What I use to challenge others is not his level. I have to use other stuff. He is passionate, trippy. His goal is to succeed in all the challenges that I will throw at him. His desire is to succeed in everything that has not been achieved so far. »
One thing is certain: the respect between the two men is mutual.
“Michel Hamelin surely brought me to another level”, drops Kingsbury during our interview.
“We have a relationship that starts from afar, explains Hamelin. I ran it before training Alex Bilodeau, the two years he was in Nor-Am. I was with him when he was course setter (at the Games in) Vancouver, with Philippe Marquis. I know him really well and our bond is special. And working together revitalizes us. I like leading him and he likes being coached by me. »
The coach leaves nothing to chance.
“We work with Jean-François Ménard, a mental trainer, and we try to find objectives that are not only technical or tactical, but also emotional. Ways of breathing, challenges that are not related to skiing.
“The goal is not to think. We have a bit of an image of an F1 driver driving at 300 km/h: the turns come quickly, but these guys see things happen more slowly than other people. On the track, we want Mik to move fast, but up and down the track, we want him to move slowly, nothing rushed, until he goes. The goal is for him to see things more slowly. »
Blindly
Kingsbury, like its competitors, will compete in the qualifications by treading the Secret Garden course for the first time. Despite everything, he believes he has an advantage over his opponents.
“I’ve always been good on Chinese snow. I learned to ski when I was three years old at Mont Saint-Sauveur and it’s the same snow. I expect the weather to be very consistent, very cold. I like it like that: it’s easy to have consistent times and the bumps stay really hard. »
Does he still have any assets for the final?
“I don’t want to open my game: people know what jumps I can do. But I have a lot of cards in my deck. My double full 1080 run is the one I’ve won the most times with and I think it’s the one that’s going to win the Games. After that, it will be a question of seeing what strategy my competitors will use.
“My 1440 is doing really well, I land it constantly. I’m better prepared to put him in any type of race. I work on 1080s with edge grips. They are the hardest jumps on the circuit right now and if I need to use them, I know I can do it. […] If I have a risk to take, if someone got 90 points or more, I know I can grab a 1440 or a 1080. It’s really a matter of circumstances, but everything is ready. So I’m in the shoes I want to be right now. »
Mikaël Kingsbury and the other moguls of the Canadian team will be on the track for the qualifications, on February 3, at the Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou. The medals will be distributed two days later.