Quebec’s Julien Viel clinched his maiden World Cup victory on Saturday by triumphing in the men’s dual moguls event at the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup held on his home turf. Despite finishing about 1.5 seconds behind his Japanese rival Ikuma Horishima, the 24-year-old secured the title with a 20-15 score, demonstrating poise and mastery in his performance. Filip Gravenfors of Sweden claimed the third spot, outperforming Finland’s Olli Penttala.
Viel, hailing from Mont-Saint-Anne, Quebec, adopted a cautious approach, emphasizing the challenging conditions and the importance of minimizing the risk of injury. “I played it safe today. It’s very dangerous out there, so I just did my runs and tried not to injure myself,” Viel commented after his victory. He expressed satisfaction with his strategy, stating, “The plan worked. I pushed just enough, but not too much, so I’m very happy.”
The enthusiastic support of the Val St-Côme, Quebec crowd buoyed Viel throughout the competition, culminating in thunderous cheers when his winning score was announced. Viel acknowledged the crowd’s impact, mentioning, “Hearing the crowd at the top … it’s amazing and it gives you the last push that you want before the run.” The Canadian fans were instrumental in motivating Team Canada.
The Canadian dominance extended to both the men’s moguls and men’s dual moguls events, with Mikaël Kingsbury seizing gold in the moguls event – marking his 100th career World Cup triumph – on the previous day. Notably, Charles Beaulieu also represented Canada well by securing the eighth position in the men’s dual moguls competition.
In the women’s category, the United States claimed the top four spots, with Jaelin Kauf emerging victorious with a score of 23, surpassing silver medalist Elizabeth Lemley. Tess Johnson completed the American podium sweep, finishing ahead of Olivia Giaccio. Maïa Schwinghamme and Jessica Linton were the sole Canadians to secure positions in the top 10, claiming seventh and eighth places, respectively.
