Mikaël Kingsbury, the King of Moguls, ‘probably’ set for final Olympics in Italy

MONTREAL – Mikaël Kingsbury has nothing left to prove in his sport.

After three Olympic medals, including a gold in South Korea, 100 World Cup victories and 29 — 29! — crystal globes, the moguls skier from Deux-Montagnes, Que., is still driven by a thirst for victory.

So much so that, just a few weeks before the Milan Cortina Games, he wouldn’t clearly say whether or not these would be his last Olympics. 

“You never know. I always joke with people that I’m going to do a Tom Brady,” he said. “Honestly, these are probably my last Games.”

So here is — probably — one last Olympic profile.

The image is striking on the podium at the 2025 world championships in Engadine, Switzerland.

Ikuma Horishima was on crutches, Matt Graham was also visibly banged up, but Kingsbury — the veteran of the group at 32 — stood tall on the top step, having just won the dual moguls event for his ninth world title.

“People from other teams didn’t come to congratulate me on winning the world championships, they were surprised I could still walk!” he said from his home last August.

That was before he injured his groin during training a few weeks later, an injury that upended his preparation and planning for this season — one aimed not at bringing home crystal globes, but once again capturing Olympic gold.

Kingsbury had to withdraw from the Ruka, Finland, events at the start of the season after finishing 16th in qualification. A month later, however, he secured his 100th career victory on the World Cup circuit at home in Val-St-Côme, Que. — a victory that allowed him to focus all his attention on preparing for the Olympics.

“It’s a huge weight off my shoulders,” said the “King of Moguls” after the race. “It feels good knowing I can win even when I’m not 100 per cent.

“And knowing that I have a month left (before the Olympics), comparing how I felt in Ruka a month ago to how I feel today gives me hope that I can get closer to being 100 per cent for the Games. When I’m 100 per cent, I’ll be even better.”

In order to be 100 per cent, Kingsbury skipped the last World Cup before the Games. It remains to be seen whether his body will hold up.

But Kingsbury doesn’t need to add another Olympic medal — or two, with the addition of dual moguls — to solidify his place in the history books.

“I’d like to be perfect. One thing is true: I could retire tomorrow and be satisfied with what I’ve accomplished,” he said. “But I know I’m still capable. I know I can be the best in the world and that any day, I can win the Games.”

And with experience on his side, he will bring a new attitude to the mountains of Livigno, Italy.

“I want to ski knowing that I’m an Olympic champion, something I may not have done well enough in Beijing,” he said. “I skied smart in Beijing, but not smart enough to win. I want to ski these Games to the max, ski to win, not to finish second.”

“Winning another silver or bronze medal would be great for Canada, but that’s not why I’m doing this. I’m doing it for myself. I want to ski at a level where I can win,” he added. “If that means I finish sixth, I won’t be disappointed. I just want to ski to the max and enjoy myself. When I’m having fun, that’s when I become really hard to beat. I ski at a different level. That’s the feeling I want to have at the Games. Skiing for fun will give me a good chance of winning.”

His opponents should be wary, because all the conditions will be in place for Kingsbury to ski with a smile on his face — starting with the return of spectators.

“I’ve always been better in front of crowds,” he said. “In Beijing, I felt like I was on a TV show. It was weird. It was easy to focus on the race, but I like the little distractions, the crowd cheering when you come back down, knowing your family is there, the encouragement. It gives you that competitive feeling, and that’s what I like.

“My son, Henrik, will be there. For the first time, my brother, sister and their spouses will be there. My parents, the parents of Laurence (his partner). The Kingsbury clan, there will be about 20 of us. When my family is there, I feel confident, I feel in my element.”

Being a statistics buff, there’s another factor that motivates him.

“There’s a part of me that would find it fun if I could retire on top,” he said. “And I don’t want to tough it out for too long. The sport is tough. I may make it look easy if you look at my results since 2010-11. I don’t want to end it with one season too many.”

“I don’t think it would cast a shadow on my career, but I came in through the front door, and I want to go out through the front door, not because I’m in pain everywhere and can’t keep up with the young guys anymore,” he added. “I want to retire not because I can no longer compete, but because I have a family and other priorities in life … I’ll be an Olympic champion for the rest of my life. What I want is to be one a second time, maybe a third time, with the duals that will be contested for the first time.”

The 2026 Olympics will be his fourth. Although he doesn’t want to definitively say these will be his last Games, he admits that he didn’t think he would ski for so long.

“I think most of my former teammates thought I would stop after 2018 because I had won, but I’m still passionate,” he said. “I don’t think that in 2014 I was telling myself that at 33 I would have the most starts, podiums and World Cup victories. I didn’t expect to ski for so long, and I didn’t expect to be able to keep up the pace for so long.”

Fans will be able to see him one last time on Feb. 12 and 15, when the singles and dual moguls finals will be held. Probably.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2026.