Moguls: Canada’s Kingsbury finishes off the podium

Moguls ace Mikael Kingsbury was so dominant in freestyle skiing this season that it seemed impossible that he could go home from the world championships with only one bronze medal.

But that’s what happened as the 24-year-old from Deux-Montagnes, Que., finished 13th in the dual moguls on Thursday. He had been held to only a bronze medal in the single moguls a day earlier.

The Olympic silver medallist won seven World Cup gold medals in a row coming into the championships in Sierra Nevada, Spain, and had claimed the sixth crystal globe of his career as the season’s overall champion.

But he couldn’t find his rhythm in the summer-like conditions and watched as underdog Ikuma Horishima of Japan swept both events.

“It’s not the results I wanted but everything felt great,” said Kingsbury. “I had a tough draw facing him in the round of 16. He was the master of this course. It’s his type of snow.”

The Canadian women also missed the podium. Perrine Laffont of France won while Andi Naude of Penticton, B.C., was the top Canadian in ninth place. Chloe Dufour-Lapointe of Montreal was 11th while here sister Justine finished 14th.

Justine Dufour-Lapointe had also won singles bronze on Wednesday.

Kingsbury compared the conditions to what the Canadians ski on at summer camps and said it should not be seen as an omen for what may happen at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Snow conditions there are expected to be “more wintry,” he said.

Kingsbury, who won dual moguls gold at the world championships two years ago in Austria, remains as confident as ever and hopes to use the setback as motivation for next season.

“If I look at my season, it was amazing,” said Kingsbury. “The best of my career. “I don’t want the world championships to put a shadow on my season.”