Canadian mogulists Alex Bilodeau and Mikael Kingsbury shared the podium all season in the lead-up to the Olympic Games. And Monday at Rosa Khutor Alpine Center outside Sochi was no different. Bilodeau, the reigning Olympic champion, took gold at his Olympic swan song, and Kingsbury, the reigning world champ, took silver. Before heading to Sochi, the pair spoke with Sportsnet about their rivalry.
MIKAEL KINGSBURY Overall, I’m good at everything. I can be the fastest with the two biggest airs. I’m very consistent, and that’s going to make me hard to beat.
ALEX BILODEAU I’m a better skier than I was in Vancouver. I’m faster, a better jumper, more consistent in my jumps, and way better technically.
MK It’s cool to be from the same country because we can push each other more. I see him train, he sees me train.
AB I don’t see it differently from any other rivalry. We compete for the same medal, just like I was competing against Australian Dale Begg-Smith four years ago. It’s totally not different.
MK When I was eight years old, he was 13. I looked up to him and said, “I want to be that good in the future.” He was a role model.
AB We’re from the same mountain in Quebec, so I helped Mikael when he was younger.
MK He was very nice to me. He helped me with little tips here and there. Now it’s different. The tips have stopped.
AB He doesn’t need tips anymore!
MK If I find a way to ski the course differently, I’m keeping it for myself! On the hill, it’s game on.
On the mountain, it’s business. It’s nothing dirty. I’m doing my thing, and I’ve got a strategy to beat you today.
MK I wear the same T-shirt and boxers in competition. It’s my lucky thing. The T-shirt says: “It’s good to be the king.” I wore it in 2010 when I had my first World Cup podium. [At the next] competition, I didn’t wear it, and I didn’t do well. After that, I was like, “OK, there’s something magic with that T-shirt.”
AB He always has that T-shirt on.
MK If Alex is second and I am first after qualifiers, he goes second-last in finals and puts pressure on me. We’re in a good situation when we’re the two last to go. I like to go last; I like the pressure.
AB It’s always good to put pressure on the guy going last, but I hate not having the control. I prefer to go last. We’re in a judged sport, so if you’re last it’s an advantage. If you’re last and you both do the same run exactly, there’s a good chance the last run wins.
MK It would be the sickest thing if we were one-two on the podium. It would be a good party after that.
AB If Mikael and I don’t make a big mistake, and we don’t push each other too much–when you play that game sometimes you go overboard and you finish fourth–it should be one-two in Sochi. I’m not planning on finishing second.
MK The goal at the Olympics is the gold medal. That’s it.