Table of Contents
The Milano Cortina Games witnessed a milestone in freestyle skiing when Mikaël Kingsbury of Deux-Montagnes, Quebec, won the inaugural Olympic men’s dual moguls final. This victory not only provided Canada with its first gold medal of the Games but also extended Kingsbury’s remarkable Olympic résumé to a total of five medals. Having already stood on the podium this week with a silver in the moguls event, Kingsbury returned to his favored head-to-head format and delivered a commanding performance that underscored his long-term dominance in dual moguls.
In the big final, Kingsbury beat Japan’s Ikuma Horishima to claim gold, while Australia’s Matt Graham secured the bronze medal. The event, making its Olympic debut, pairs two skiers down a course at once and evaluates competitors on a combination of speed, technique through the moguls, and aerial execution. Kingsbury’s win was a demonstration of both technical precision and tactical racing, hallmarks of his career that have produced years of World Cup triumphs and multiple world titles.
How the event unfolded: rounds and decisive runs
The elimination bracket began with the 1/16 finals and progressed quickly through head-to-head matchups. Kingsbury opened his campaign with a decisive victory over Matyas Kroupa of Czechia, followed by a convincing win against Kazakhstan’s Pavel Kolmakov. In the quarterfinals, Kingsbury advanced after Daeyoon Jung of South Korea did not finish his run. He then dominated the semifinals, beating Japan’s Takuya Shimakawa by a wide margin to secure at least a silver and a guaranteed place on the podium. These rounds highlighted the blend of speed and judged components that define dual moguls scoring.
The final and podium
In the final showdown, Kingsbury outpaced and outscored Ikuma Horishima to take the title and hand Canada its opening gold at Milano Cortina. Horishima’s aggressive aerials and commitment to high-difficulty tricks had earned him a bronze earlier in the moguls event, and he again displayed those strengths on the duals course. Matt Graham completed the podium, claiming bronze with consistent turns and strong air elements. The medal ceremony that followed recognized Kingsbury’s achievement as both a single-race triumph and a capstone to a sustained Olympic career.
Significance for kingsbury and the sport
Kingsbury’s victory added to a historic personal tally: he is now the only male freestyle skier to hold five Olympic medals, a collection that includes two golds and three silvers. This outcome ties directly to his world-class record in the dual-moguls discipline, where he has amassed dozens of World Cup wins and multiple world championship titles. Beyond the numbers, the win is symbolic: the first Olympic edition of men’s dual moguls found one of the sport’s most accomplished athletes standing at the top, reinforcing his reputation and giving younger athletes a benchmark for excellence.
Canadian team performance and notable moments
Canada entered the competition with several strong contenders. Alongside Kingsbury, Julien Viel and Elliot Vaillancourt represented the national squad. Viel, who had earned a first-round bye, crashed in his round against Shimakawa and recorded a did not finish, while Vaillancourt was eliminated earlier by Shimakawa in a tightly scored contest. Shimakawa himself had been responsible for knocking out the other Canadian hopefuls, showcasing the depth and unpredictability characteristic of bracket-style racing.
What dual moguls brings to the olympics
The introduction of men’s dual moguls to the Olympic program adds a dynamic, spectator-friendly format to freestyle skiing. Unlike the single-run moguls event where athletes are evaluated one at a time, duals pit skiers directly against each other in simultaneous runs, making the outcome immediately dramatic while still relying on the sport’s three judged components: speed, turns, and air. This blend of direct competition and technical assessment has helped create compelling storylines, as evidenced by Kingsbury’s path from silver in moguls to gold in duals.
As the Milano Cortina Games continue, Kingsbury’s triumph stands as a highlight for Canada and for the sport at large. The result honors a veteran who has repeatedly set the standard in freestyle skiing and introduces a new Olympic chapter for dual moguls—one that promises tight races, technical feats, and memorable head-to-head battles in future competitions.