Anthony extends winning streak, Kingsbury bounces back in Val St. Come
Jan 21, 2024·Freestyle
A spectacular two-day showcase of elite freestyle skiing concluded on Saturday in Val St. Come (CAN), where the dual moguls competition brought the FIS Freestyle World Cup event in Quebec to a sensational close. Jakara Anthony (AUS) secured her second victory of the weekend in the women's event, while Mikael Kingsbury (CAN) impressively bounced back to win the men’s event.
In the women's competition, Jakara Anthony confirmed her status as the season's strongest athlete. She advanced through the competition brackets, overcoming challenges from Anastassiya Gorodko (KAZ), Maia Schwinghammer (CAN), and Rina Yanagimoto (JPN), before facing Jaelin Kauf (USA) in the big final.
In the decisive matchup, Anthony had a relatively straightforward task as Kauf lost control on her landing after the top air. Despite Kauf's efforts to regain control, she eventually crashed, leaving Anthony to easily secure her second win of the weekend in Val St. Come. This victory extended Anthony's winning streak to six and marked her eighth win in nine events this season.
Kauf, despite her crash in the final, concluded the Val St. Come event with her second runner-up finish in two days, marking five top-3 finishes this season and setting her up confidently for the next two events on home soil.
The third place on the day went to Olivia Giaccio (USA), who won her small final matchup against Rino Yanagimoto.
In the men’s competition, Mikael Kingsbury made a remarkable comeback after a somewhat disappointing performance on Friday, where he missed qualifying for the super final for the first time this season. On Saturday, however, Kingsbury returned to form, facing tough competition, particularly from Matt Graham in the semifinals and Filip Gravenfors in the big final. Kingsbury remained sharply focused throughout the final dual, securing a narrow victory against the Swedish upcoming star that delighted the home crowd. This win marked his 85th career World Cup victory, bringing him within one win of tying Ingemar Stenmark’s record for the most World Cup wins across all Olympic disciplines at FIS.
Gravenfors, after securing third in singles on Friday, upped his performance on Saturday to claim second place, marking his second top-3 finish of the weekend.
The event wasn't without its tense moments, particularly during the men’s small final between Benjamin Cavet and Matt Graham. Approaching the top kicker, Cavet lost control and crashed into the jump, rebounding directly into Graham’s path, resulting in a dramatic crash. Fortunately, both athletes were able to get up and ski down to the finish with no serious injuries. They are expected to be ready for the next tour stop in the USA, despite likely being sore from the incident.
With Cavet’s run marked as DNF (Did Not Finish), it was Graham who completed the men’s podium in third place, an impressive result given his gradual recovery from shoulder and knee surgeries.
With the Val St. Come event now concluded, the FIS Freestyle World Cup tour moves to the new venue in Waterville (USA), with a pair of moguls and dual moguls competitions scheduled for next Friday and Saturday, January 26-27.
Quick links:
Val St Come World Cup FIS data page (start lists, results, etc.)
)
