(Chiesa In Valmalenco) We were treated to a Quebec double in the moguls event in parallel with the Freestyle Skiing World Cup on Saturday in the Italian town of Chiesa in Valmalenco.
Mikaël Kingsbury finished second in the competition while his compatriot Julien Viel won the small final to climb to the third step of the podium.
In the grand final, Kingsbury lost 18-17 to arch-rival Ikuma Horishima of Japan. As for Viel, a 21-year-old athlete from Quebec, he beat American Dylan Walczyk 21-14 in the small final.
As Kingsbury collected a 113e career podium and a ninth in 2022-23, Viel achieved the feat for the very first time in his career, in his 11e World Cup race.
Previously, Viel’s best World Cup performance was ninth in the moguls event held Feb. 2 in Deer Valley, Utah.
Among the ladies, the French Perrine Laffont won the competition ahead of the American Elizabeth Lemley.
Maia Schwinghammer was the top Canadian with a 12e place.