ZHANGJIAKOU, China – Mikaël Kingsbury could become the first hard worker to collect a third Olympic medal on Saturday, and only the second, after Alexandre Bilodeau, to defend his Olympic title. How are its last 24 hours furnished before this competition presented in the evening? The King of Moguls was kind enough to share his final preparation with The Canadian Press.
In order not to run out of energy in the super-final after playing Final 1 against 19 other competitors and Final 2, along with the other 11 best competitors, Kingsbury will have a hearty supper the day before.
“I really like a good spaghetti Bolognese with meat on the side and lots of vegetables, like a big salad. We’ll see what we have in the Olympic Village, but I like it. I like to eat a big meal the night before, because on competition days it’s harder to eat well. I take a big breakfast, because thereafter, it will be bars, fruits. It’s hard to eat meals.
“When the events are in the evening, you want to peak your energy at the right time, so you organize your schedule of the previous days according to this: you go to bed and get up later, you live a little on your own lag . I don’t want the day to be too long either, so I’m going to get up between 11am and noon and have a good breakfast, then possibly a good lunch in the middle of the afternoon. »
Contrary to what one might think, Kingsbury will not spend the whole afternoon thinking about the competition. In fact, he’ll avoid thinking about it altogether by spending the afternoon playing cards or board games.
“A classic within the team is Carcassonne,” he explains. Not everyone is familiar, so sometimes it takes time to teach newcomers how to play well with all the nuances and strategies. (…) We’re all pretty good at Carcassonne, but on race days, I prefer to let the boys win to save myself a victory in the evening! I’m kidding, but I’m very competitive, like pretty much all the guys around me who play high level sport. In board games, there is strategy, but luck can also help you.
“I also have little golf games on my phone or tablet. I play tournaments against other players online: simple things that keep my brain busy and don’t make me think about the event.
“Sometimes I will have a last meeting with the coaches, then it’s ‘game on’! It’s as usual, except that it’s the Olympics! »
It was once on the bus taking him to the mountain that Kingsbury began his mental preparation.
“I get ‘crazy’ listening to music. It allows me to enter my bubble. From then on, I don’t really like talking to others around me. I had all day to have fun with people: it’s my last little moment to me. Only Michel (Hamelin, the national team coach) should be with me. »
Once in the mountains, it is his equipment that will hold his full attention.
“I take care of my glasses, to make sure I have the right lens for the conditions. I will then place all my equipment to make sure I have everything double or triple, just to be ready for any eventuality. I’m going to drink lots of water and hit the mountain for training. There is nothing special there, it’s “go skiing”! »
Without being superstitious, the 29-year-old hard worker admits to a few stubborn habits.
“If my business is going well, for example, I can always put my skis in the same place at the top of the piste; repeat the same tricks in the same order in the start gate. It keeps me in the present moment. When you are consistent at the top of the track or around it, you are often consistent on the track.
“There are also small rituals that I do, but nothing specific the day before an event. I don’t always eat the same meals or do the same things. I try to be consistent in the things that help me be consistent on the track. »
It remains to be seen whether the formula will be a winner again on the track at the Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou.
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The final stages of the moguls event at the Beijing Games will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (6:30 a.m. in Quebec).
