Kingsbury wins again

Canadian moguls skier Mikaël Kingsbury has been so dominant for so long that it’s almost hard to pick out his crowning achievement.

Is it the Olympic gold medal he won under extreme pressure at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, or his consistency in winning the overall World Cup title — for the seventh year in a row? Or, are his world records even more impressive than all that?

After all, the 26-year-old from Quebec is the greatest moguls skier in the history of the sport, having won the most ever World Cup medals (74), and the most gold ones (50).

On Tuesday, he added Canada’s athlete of the year to his list of accolades. The prestigious Lou Marsh Trophy, named after the legendary former Toronto Star sports editor, is handed out each December to Canada’s top athlete — professional or amateur, man or woman, in any sport. The award dates back to 1936 and is selected by a panel of sports journalists from across the country.

It’s a well-deserved honour for Kingsbury, who joins the ranks of top Canadian professionals, including baseball player Joey Votto and Olympic champion swimmer Penny Oleksiak.

Lots of young kids dream of making it to the pinnacle of their sport and young Kingsbury was no different, posting the Olympic rings and the words, “I will win,” above his bed. But Kingsbury rightly saw that the key to making his dreams come true didn’t come from focusing on beating others but on beating himself.

“It’s just me against me,” he once said. That’s the attitude that got him to the top, and stands as a worthy example for others.

Mikaël Kingsbury is the greatest moguls skier in the history of the sport