Mikaël Kingsbury headlines list of 24 freestyle skiers set to represent Canada at Beijing 2022
The reigning moguls champions will look to reach the podium for a third time
Freestyle Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee nominated 24 freestyle skiers to compete across four disciplines at Beijing 2022 on Monday.
Athletes were selected based on results from the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, and skiers who won medals at certain targeted events were given priority.
One of Canada’s most dominant athletes, moguls skier Mikaël Kingsbury, is considered as close to a lock for a medal as anyone, and is a strong favourite to pick up the gold medal in Beijing.
He’s the reigning Olympic champion, and also picked up the silver medal at Sochi 2014, finishing second to fellow Canadian Alexandre Bilodeau. Over the course of his career, Kingsbury has reached World Cup podiums over 100 times, with 70% of those medals being gold.
“It’s always an honour for me to represent Canada on the world’s largest stage,” said Kingsbury in a press release. “This will mark my third Olympic Games and each time I feel the same pride. This is the culmination of the last four years of work, and I look forward to being in Beijing with all the other athletes from Canada.”
In women’s moguls, the Dufour-Lapointe sisters will again be in contention as they compete in their third Olympics together. Chloé, the older of the two, is going to her fourth Games, and was the silver medalist at the Sochi 2014 Games, finishing behind her sister Justine.
Justine won that 2014 Olympic gold, and followed it up with the silver medal in Pyeongchang in 2018. They have a third sister as well, Maxine — the oldest of the trio — who competed with them in 2014.
Canada are also expected to do well in women’s halfpipe. Cassie Sharpe, the reigning Olympic champion, suffered a serious injury last year, but will be in Beijing and is a contender to repeat.
Rachael Karker heads to her first Olympic after finishing third in the FIS World Cup halfpipe standings, and she won medals in all three halfpipe World Cup events she took part it.
“I am incredibly excited and grateful to be representing Canada in my first Olympics,” said Karker in a press release. “I’ve worked so hard the last few years and I’m feeling prepared and ready to get going in Beijing.”
The men’s halfpipe team, led by Brendan MacKay, the overall World Cup champion this season, will also look to pick up some hardware. Noah Bowman and Simon d’Artois, both World Championships medalists, will join MacKay in that competition.
“Freestyle Canada is proud of all its program athletes but particularly today of this group who have distinguished themselves by being selected to represent Canada at the XXIV Olympic Winter Games,” said Freestyle Canada CEO Peter Judge in a press release. “We will be sending our largest contingent ever with a total of 24 athletes competing across five disciplines and 11 events. We are excited to see them embark on this journey and carry on the proud tradition that Freestyle Canada has at the Games.”
Canada have won 25 Olympic medals in freestyle skiing across all disciplines, and have dominated in moguls in particular. A Canadian has won the last three men’s moguls events — Bilodeau in 2010 and 2014, and Kingsbury in 2018 — and Jennifer Heil won the women’s moguls competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Freestyle skiing will take place February 3-19 at the Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou and the Big Air Shougang in Beijing.
“It is with great pleasure that I welcome these 24 athletes to represent Canada in Beijing in freestyle skiing,” said Catriona Le May Doan, Team Canada’s Beijing 2022 Chef de Mission, in a press release. “Canada has had such an incredible history of success at the Games and this year will be no different. We have seen this team of Olympic veterans and rookies shine over the last twelve months as they have overcome so many obstacles to succeed on the international stage. We look forward to cheering them on as they take on the world in one week.”
The full list of athletes and coaches nominated:
Moguls:
Chloé Dufour-Lapointe
Justine Dufour-Lapointe
Laurent Dumais
Sofiane Gagnon
Mikaël Kingsbury
Dean Bercovitch – Coach
Michel Hamelin – Coach
Freddy Mooney – Coach
Jim Schiman – Coach
Aerials:
Flavie Aumond
Naomy Boudreau-Guertin
Miha Fontaine
Lewis Irving
Émile Nadeau
Marion Thénault
Jeff Bean – Coach
Rémi Belanger – Coach
Slopestyle/Big Air:
Olivia Asselin
Elena Gaskell
Teal Harle
Evan McEachran
Max Moffatt
Megan Oldham
Édouard Therriault
Sandy Boville – Coach
JF Cusson – Coach
Toben Sutherland – Coach
Halfpipe:
Noah Bowman
Simon d’Artois
Amy Fraser
Rachael Karker
Brendan Mackay
Cassie Sharpe
Marc McDonell – Coach
Trennon Paynter – Coach
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