ZHANGJIAKOU, China – Mikaël Kingsbury made history by winning a third Olympic medal on Saturday. However, it is not the desired color.
The Swede Walter Wallberg was imperial throughout the evening on the mogul slope of the Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou, so much so that it was he who was crowned champion of the Beijing Olympic Games, ahead of Kingsbury and the Japanese Ikuma Horishima.
“I said to him: ‘Welcome to the club,’ said a serene Kingsbury, very noble in defeat. It’s a very select club, it’s worth naming them: Grospiron, Brassard, Moseley, Lahtela, Begg-Smith, Bilodeau, me and now Wallberg. »
The 21-year-old hard worker flew over the track in 23.70 seconds and earned the best jump marks to finish with 83.23 points, the highest mark of the two days of competition. Kingsbury, who started second from last, had applied the pressure by scoring 82.18 points to temporarily relegate Horishima’s 81.48 to second place.
“Up there was so windy you couldn’t hear the scores,” Kingsbury said. In the gate, I asked Mike (Michel Hamelin, his coach) what Ikuma’s score was. I don’t remember the score, but when he told me, I thought: “OK, I have that”.
“I left everything in Walter’s hands and leaned against the fence. When he crossed the wire, I said to myself: “Phew! It’s going to be tough!”.”
“We fought all season, it was a good time to get this first place, for his part explained Wallberg, who accompanied Kingsbury and Horishima on the podium during the last four races in the World Cup. I think the key today was to be faster than these two guys.
“It’s an incredible feeling. I knew I had a good run, but I knew Mik and Ikuma had one too. I was super happy when I saw the scores. »
“We’re a bit surprised by his run,” admitted Hamelin. Him, it is clear that he said to himself that it was first or nothing. Congratulations to him. »
This victory of Wallberg is a bit like that of the student over the master.
“I had already trained him when he was 15, in Sweden, before he was on the World Cup, recalled Kingsbury. He comes from a good family, he works hard, he’s a good guy. It is well deserved. »
“It was very inspiring. It has always been my idol, underlined the winner. I asked him lots of questions about how he prepared his skis, tips for attacking the bumps. It’s very special to beat him. »
Three to join Traa
Kingsbury, 29, became the first freestyle skier to collect a third Olympic medal after winning silver in Sochi and gold in Pyeongchang. He joins Norwegian Kari Traa, the only hard worker to have won three Olympic medals: bronze in 1998, gold in 2002, and silver in 2006.
“These are my third Olympics. We are in a sport where it is a single event. I don’t want to take anything away from other sports that have more than one event, but we’re under so much pressure: it’s a medal every four years. I am proud to have participated in three Olympics and to have three medals in eight years. To be the first in my sport to have three medals is really special. Of course, I would have liked it to be gold, everyone knows that, but I gave it my all and I have no regrets. »
Already the record holder with 71 victories and 101 career podiums in the World Cup, Kingsbury was trying to imitate his ex-teammate Alexandre Bilodeau, the only hard worker in history to have successfully defended his Olympic title. Bilodeau was on the top step of the podium in Sochi after becoming the first Canadian to win an Olympic title at home, at the Vancouver Games four years earlier.
“There is a little disappointment, we have been working hard for four years, he has won a lot of World Cups and he wanted to equal Bilodeau’s mark. But we are very proud of what we have accomplished, underlined Hamelin, all smiles, at the bottom of the track. We made a small mistake in F2, but he had his best run in the last one. We were aiming for gold, there is no doubt. But Wallberg had the run of his life. »
Dumais excluded and disappointed
Earlier, Laurent Dumais had failed in his second attempt to qualify for the finals. The 25-year-old hard worker from Quebec had to break through the top 10 among the 20 skiers competing in this Q2, but could not do better than 16th place.
“I certainly expected to be in the final. I expected more of myself, he blurted out. I am very disappointed with my two descents. I just wasn’t good enough. I felt good both times at the top of the trail. I just wasn’t able to deliver the goods. »
Sunday, Justine and Chloé Dufour-Lapointe as well as Sofiane Gagnon will be back in action. Justine is already qualified for F1, but Chloé and Gagnon will have to go through Q2 first.
