Canadian FreeStyle Ski Association – Canadians sweep podium again, Kingsbury wins 31^st World Cup

Canada lands on the podium five times at the FIS World Cup in Calgary

Calgary, AB – It was another incredible day for the Canadian Mogul Team on Saturday. A second consecutive ladies podium sweep was achieved and led by Chloé Dufour-Lapointe (Montreal, QC), the overall women’s FIS points leader, who finished in first place with a score of 77.42 narrowly beating out younger sister, Justine, who finished with 77.24
 
Andi Naude (Penticton, BC) finished third (74.11) for her second career podium and her first on home soil.
 
“It’s always special to be at the top because we all want to be there, “ said Chloé Dufour-Lapointe. “Our team is so strong and we have so much talent. This is my first win in Calgary, so I’m going to remember it. The course is so hard and challenging. I really had to be at my best and avoid making any mistakes out there.”
 
The sweep comes exactly one week after the Dufour-Lapointe sisters, including Maxime, swept the FIS World Cup podium at Val Saint-Côme.
 
“Last week really motivated us and we wanted to re-live that feeling,” said Justine. “When you go through something historic, it gives you incredible energy. We pushed really hard today and skied really smart. We wanted to perform well here for ourselves and for all the fans that came out to cheer for the team. Their support is incredibly important to us.”
 
Mikaël Kingsbury (Deux-Montagnes, QC) continued his torrid streak on the record books by winning his 31^st career FIS World Cup. Kingsbury’s super final score of 81.63 earned him in the victory and he was joined on the podium by teammate Philippe Marquis (Quebec City, QC) who finished with 80.51.  Japan’s Sho Endo scored 75.34 to finish third.
 
The victory is the sixth consecutive victory in Calgary for Kingsbury and his third consecutive victory on the World Cup tour. Kingsbury has now won 10 out of the 11 last World Cups.
 
“Phil was skiing well all day and I knew that I had to push myself to beat him,” said Kingsbury. “Today wasn’t the best skiing of my life since the course was so challenging for everyone. I still think I jumped pretty well and executed when it mattered the most. We were able to follow our game plan and it brought us results. It’s special to do this with one of your best friends. I’m really happy for Phil too. He helps bring out the best in me.”
 
Marquis is coming off two straight fourth place finishes to start the season. Finishing second in Calgary moves Marquis up to second overall in the FIS rankings behind Kingsbury.
 
“Mik and I kind of looked at each other leading into the super final and knew something special could happen,” said Marquis. “I’m so happy that we did it. We are such good friends, so it’s fun for us to be competing against each other and finishing in first and second place. We have a great little rivalry too and we use our bond to push the other guy to be better. We’re two guys who want to achieve greatness together.”
 
The women’s team showed their depth today by having five of the six girls in the super final from Canada. Audrey Robichaud (Quebec City, QC) finished fourth and Maxime Dufour-Lapointe (Montreal, QC) finished sixth.
 
“I’m at a loss for words right now to be able to do this in Canada with my teammates next to me,” said the 20-year-old Naude. “It’s an honour to just ski for this team. We’re surrounded by so much talent each day. I’m proud to be up on the podium today with two greats and I’m thankful for my teammates and coaches that push me to be better.”
 
The team flies out to Deer Valley, Utah, for a FIS World Cup double header next week. The team is scheduled to compete in a moguls event February 4^th and a dual moguls event February 6^th. 

Full ladies results.
Full men’s results.
FIS World Cup Standings for ladies and men. 

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Dominique Ladouceur, Manager, Athlete Relations
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George Fadel, Manager, Communications
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