FREESTYLE SKI: Kingsbury & Laffont sweep Moguls; Midol and Smith sweep Ski Cross World Cups

Swiss Freestyle Ski Cross star Fanny Smith

The brooms were out in both Japan and Russia as four athletes each swept two events in the FIS World Cups in Moguls and Ski Cross.

In the Moguls events in Takawazo (JPN), superstar Mikael Kingsbury (CAN) won both the Moguls and Dual Moguls, defeating Ikuma Horishima (JPN) in the Dual Moguls final. American Bradley Wilson won a bronze in the standard Moguls event, his first World Cup medal of the season.

Said Wilson, “Today was ultimate, the conditions were insane. When we showed up the course was a little firm and then it just got warm and it was soft and slushy, the sun was out, it was awesome. I had a blast, it was good!”

Kingsbury has wrapped up the seasonal title in Moguls for the eighth season in a row, with one event remaining. However, in Dual Moguls, Kingsbury leads Horishima, 200-130, with one event still to come.

The women’s situation is similar, with France’s Perrine Laffont winning both events in Takawazo and clinching the Moguls title with 600 points to 485 for Jakara Anthony (AUS) with one event left. But in the Dual Moguls, American Jaelin Kauf was second this weekend and the two are tied at 180 with one more event remaining.

“I’m really happy to land on the podium this week,” said Kauf. “Yesterday I had my best result I’ve had in singles here in Japan [fifth], so I was really happy with that. I definitely wanted to improve in duals today. Unfortunately, I kind of got caught up in a mogul in the finals run, but still really happy to land on the podium.”

In Sunny Valley (RUS), France’s Bastien Midol and Swiss Fanny Smith won both events. That cinched the seasonal victory for Midol, his first. Smith has almost sewed up the seasonal title as well, but has a 763-675 lead over Sweden’s Sandra Naeslund with one event to go. Barring a disaster, she will win her first seasonal World Cup as well. Summaries:

FIS Freestyle World Cup
Minsk (BLR) ~ 23 February 2019
(Full results here)

Men’s Aerials: 1. Maxim Burov (RUS), 120.36; 2. Anton Kushner (BLR), 118.10; 3. Stanislav Nikitin (RUS), 99.12; 4. Justin Schoenefeld (USA), 87.07; 5. Jiaxu Sun (CHN), 86.67. Also: 6. Jonathan Lillis (USA), 75.56.

Women’s Aerials: 1. Mengtao Xu (CHN), 87.77; 2. Sicun Xu (CHN), 80.33; 3. Qi Shao (CHN), 80.04; 4. Ashley Caldwell (USA), 72.26; 5. Megan Nick (USA), 71.34. Also: 6. Winter Vinecki (USA), 69.89.

FIS Freestyle World Cup
Takawazo (JPN) ~ 23-24 February 2019
(Full results here)

Men’s Moguls: 1. Mikael Kingsbury (CAN), 86.70; 2. Philippe Marquis (CAN), 83.67; 3. Bradley Wilson (USA), 80.47; 4. Daichi Hara (JPN), 79.24; 5. Walter Wallberg (SWE), 79.08.

Men’s Dual Moguls/ Big Final: 1. Kingsbury (CAN); 2. Ikuma Horishima (JPN); Small Final: 3. Benjamin Cavet (FRA); 4. Matt Graham (AUS).

Women’s Moguls: 1. Perrine Laffont (FRA), 82.97; 2. Jakara Anthony (AUS), 79.87; 3. Yulia Galysheva (KAZ), 76.92; 4. Justine Dufour-Lapointe (CAN), 76.70; 5. Jaelin Kauf (USA), 75.82. Also: 6. Tess Johnson (USA), 75.00.

Women’s Dual Moguls/ Big Final: 1. Laffont (FRA); 2. Kauf (USA); Small Final: 3. Anthony (AUS); 4. Galysheva (KAZ).

FIS Freestyle World Cup
Sunny Valley (RUS) ~ 21-24 February 2019
(Full results here)

Men’s Ski Cross I/ Big Final: 1. Bastien Midol (FRA); 2. Filip Flisar (SLO); 3. Jean Frederic Chapuis (FRA); 4. Alex Fiva (SUI).

Men’s Ski Cross II/ Big Final: 1. Midol (FRA); 2. Fiva (SUI); 3. Brady Leman (CAN); 4. Florian Wilmsmann (GER).

Women’s Ski Cross I/ Big Final: 1. Fanny Smith (SUI); 2. Sandra Naeslund (SWE); 3. Andrea Limbacher (AUT); 4. Marielle Thompson (CAN),

Women’s Ski Cross II/ Big Final: 1. Smith (SUI); 2. Sanna Luedi (SUI); 3. Alizee Baron (FRA); 4. India Sherret (CAN).