Moguls World Cup set to resume at Val St. Come
Jan 20, 2024·Freestyle
After four weeks of a holiday break, the FIS Freestyle Moguls World Cup is set to return to action this upcoming weekend with the eight and ninth competitions of the 2023/24 season taking place in Quebec’s Val St. Come on Friday and Saturday, January 19-20.
It's time for the mogul stars to shine at a venue situated in the heart of what many consider to be the moguls hotbed of the world. The region is rich in moguls tradition, with four of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games medalists calling Quebec home, and the course in Val St. Come named after two-time Olympic gold medalist Alex Bilodeau.
Val St. Come is a venue where the Canadians are expected to excel, with an impressive track record of securing eight out of 12 possible wins between 2014 and 2023, as well as a total of 18 out of 30 top-3 finishes. Notably, Hannah Kearney (USA), Anri Kawamura (JPN), and Walter Wallberg (SWE) are the only athletes outside of Canada to have won the competition here.
One of the venue's highlights at Val St. Come was the historic podium sweep by the sister trio of Justine, Chloe, and Maxime Dufour-Lapointe in 2016. The following year, the Canadian women’s team achieved another podium sweep with Chloe, Justine, and Andi Naude making it into the top-3.
Last season, the moguls World Cup tour returned to Val St. Come after six years, offering an exciting weekend of back-to-back moguls action. This year, we will again have two full days of the world's best moguls competitions sat the renowned Quebecois resort, with evening finals for both moguls and dual moguls competitions scheduled under the lights.
Quebec has long been a hub of Canadian moguls skiing, producing some of the sport's greats, both past and present. This includes 2022 Olympic Winter Games medalist and reigning double World Champion Mikael Kingsbury, who is ready to lead the Canadian squad this weekend.
Kingsbury, leading in moguls, dual moguls, and the overall moguls World Cup ranking, will compete against rivals such as Ikuma Horishima (JPN), Nick Page (USA), Walter Wallberg (SWE), Filip Gravenforts (SWE), and Rasmus Stegfled (SWE), his closest competitors so far in the 2023/24 season.
Also representing Canada are Julien Viel, Louis-David Chalifoux, and Elliot Vaillancourt, all currently in the overall top-10. Vaillancourt is fresh off his first World Cup podium in France a couple of weeks ago.
The veteran trio of Pavel Kolmakov (KAZ), Benjamin Cavet (FRA), and Matt Graham (AUS) will be aiming to start 2024 with strong results.
Kingsbury, competing near his hometown of Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, has a history of success at Val St. Come, with four victories and two second-place finishes. He is expected to deliver his best skiing again this weekend.
On the women's side, Jakara Anthony (AUS) stands out with six wins in seven competitions this season. After finishing as runner-up here last year, she is determined to claim her first victory at this venue in Val St. Come this weekend.
In addition to Anthony, keep an eye on Rino Yanagimoto (JPN) and Jaelin Kauf (USA), who lead a strong US women’s team, including Olivia Giaccio, Hannah Soar, Elizabeth Lemley, and Tess Johnson, all poised to add excitement to the competition in Canada.
For the Canadian team, Maia Schwinghammer will be aiming to start the new year as successfully as she ended 2023, targeting a podium finish in front of the home crowd.
Makayla Gerken Schofield (GBR) will be competing in her first event of the season after recovering from a knee injury. Val St. Come, where she earned her first top-3 finish last year, holds special significance for her, motivating a strong comeback.
The competition starts on Friday with the women’s qualifications at 14:45 EST, followed by the men at 16:45, and the finals under the lights scheduled for 19:00. Sunday’s event begins with preliminary rounds at 16:45 EST, with the finals also taking place in the evening at 19:00.
WATCH LIVE
Live streaming from QUALIFICATIONS AND PRELIMINARY ROUNDS will be available here - MOGULS & DUAL MOGULS.
Live streaming from FINALS will also be accessible on our YouTube channel - MOGULS & DUAL MOGULS.
Please note that due to broadcasting rights restrictions, live streaming availability may be limited in certain regions. However, the livestream is accessible in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Singapore, and South Korea.
Quick links:
Val St Come World Cup FIS data page (start lists, results, etc.)
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