Kawamura and Kingsbury win Val St. Come moguls World Cup
Jan 28, 2023·Freestyle
The FIS Freestyle Ski Moguls World Cup finally got back to business after an extended mid-season break with the first competition of 2023 taking place under the lights of Canada’s Val St. Come resort on Friday evening, where Japan’s Anri Kawamura claimed her second straight victory in the women’s event, and Quebec’s favourite son Mikael Kingsbury thrilled the home crowd with a dominant victory in the men’s competition.
KAWAMURA EARNS SECOND-STRAIGHT VICTORY
Friday’s Val St. Come competition was the fourth moguls World Cup to be held at the venue but the first since the 2015/16 season, and in all the previous events, save for one, the winner had been a member of the host Canadian squad.
However, on Friday 18-year-old Kawamura was able to add another international name to that winner’s list, picking right back up where she left off at the Alpe d’Huez (FRA) dual moguls competition back in December and powering to her second straight victory and her fifth podium in six competitions so far this season.
After qualifying in third place earlier in the day, Kawamura stepped things up in the finals, putting down the second best score in run 1 and then stepping it up again in the superfinal, where her score of 82.25 would give her just enough to edge reigning Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games gold medallist Jakara Anthony of Australia.
“I’m really happy,” Kawamura smiled from the finish area, “It’s incredible. It’s amazing. I’ve been working really to get victories this season and it feels amazing.”
The win was the fourth of Kawamura’s World Cup career, and her 15th podium in just 30 World Cup starts.
Despite having far-and-away the best air scores of the evening and comparable turn scores to Kawamura, Anthony clocked the second slowest top-to-bottom time of the superfinal. Those lost time points would be the difference maker, as Anthony would finish less than half a point back of Kawamura with a score of 81.88 for what was also her fifth podium of the 2022/23 season.
Landing in third place for the women - and ensuring that for the first time at Val St. Come no Canadian women would land in the top-3 - was the USA’s Jaelin Kauf, as the Beijing 2022 silver medallist earned her first podium of the 2022/23 season with a score of 78.34.
The top Canadian on the evening was 21-year-old Maia Schwinghammer in fifth place, earning the best result of her World Cup career.
With her second place finish Anthony maintains her lead on both the individual moguls and moguls overall World Cup standings, with 380 points in the individual rankings and 490 on the overall. Kawamura, meanwhile, moves up to second on the overall standings, bumping Perrine Laffont (FRA) down to third.
KINGSBURY DOMINATES TO THRILL VAL ST. COME CROWD
Over on the men’s side of things Mikael Kingsbury got the retribution you know he’s been thinking about for six long weeks, coming back from his first missed finals in 13 years at the Alpe d’Huez dual moguls World Cup to earn his third career Val St. Come victory in commanding fashion.
Since he first joined the FIS Freestyle World Cup tour back in 2009/10 Kingsbury has become one of the most - if not the most - consistent performers in FIS World Cup history in any discipline, with 108 podiums in 128 career starts leading up to Friday’s action.
When it comes to moguls skiing, it goes without saying now that Kingsbury is simply the greatest to ever do it. However, even the greats occasionally make mistakes like the one he made in Alpe d’Huez to end up in 29th position.
On Friday Kingsbury showed the Alpe d’Huez performance was most definitely in the past, as he came through with a statement performance on home soil to thrill the big Val St. Come on hand to watch their hero.
Kingsbury lead from qualifications right through to the superfinal on Friday, with his superfinal run especially a masterclass in essentially flawless moguls skiing. Earning the highest air and turns scores and putting down the second fastest time of the superfinal, Kingsbury’s total of 85.37 had him nearly four points clear of second-place finisher Walter Wallberg (SWE).
“It’s an amazing crowd. I missed it,” Kingsbury said from the finish area as the Canadian fans looked on, “Last time we competed in Canada it was during covid and we had no one at the bottom. But to have everyone here tonight was awesome. I could hear them from the top of the course.
“I’m just happy with how I played out my game today. It’s amazing to win at home. It’s the best feeling.”
The win was the 77th of Kingsbury’s career and his 109th podium, and the 30-year-old was able to strengthen his lead on both the individual moguls and moguls overall World Cup standings, with 360 points in moguls and 462 overall.
While reigning Beijing 2022 gold medallist Wallberg couldn’t keep up with Kingsbury on the evening, the 22-year-old skied strongly nonetheless, earning a score of 81.69 to earn his third podium of the season at the site where he earned the first top-3 of his World Cup career back in 2015/16.
Just back of Wallberg in third place would be Ikuma Horishima, who earned Japan’s second podium of the evening with a score of 81.36. Friday’s result was Horishima’s fourth top-3 of the season, and the 25-year-old will no doubt be looking to carry his momentum into Saturday’s Val St. Come dual moguls competition as he fights to maintain his hold on the yellow World Cup leader’s bib in duals.
Saturday’s dual moguls competition in Val St. Come will see preliminary heats beginning at 15:15 EST, with finals once again taking place under the lights at 19:00.
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QUICK LINKS:
Val St Come World Cup FIS data page (start lists, results, etc.)
Results: WOMEN MOGULS / MEN MOGULS
