ミラノコルティナ五輪 2026/ Moguls
Horishima settles for bronze in epic men's moguls final
the japantimes/ Feb 12, 2026
the japantimes/ Feb 15, 2026
Mainichi Japan/ Feb 16, 2026
Horishima settles for bronze in epic men's moguls final
the japantimes/ Feb 12, 2026
Livigno, Italy – In what was widely billed as a showdown between Canadian Mikael Kingsbury and Japan's Ikuma Horishima, it was Australia's Cooper Woods who emerged from an epic men's mogul final with Olympic gold at Livigno Aerials and Mogul Park on Thursday.
Kingsbury, the penultimate skier on the day, surged past Horishima with a clean final run score of 83.71, knocking his Japanese rival into second on 83.44. But it was Woods, after putting together the best run in the first part of the final, who had the last word.
The Australian matched Kingsbury with 83.71 points but edged past the Canadian with a better turn score, 48.4 to Kingsbury's 47.7. That scenario also played out a day earlier in the women's moguls when Japan's Hinako Tomitaka missed out on bronze after losing the tiebreaker to France's Perrine Laffont.
Mogul skiers are scored based on three components: time, turns and air, with turns making up 60% of an athlete’s score.
Woods had to come through the second qualification run Thursday morning after failing to place in the top 10 a day earlier. He then posted the top score in the first part of the final, ensuring he would go last when the medals were on the line.
"I love the pressure. Today I had lots of pressure and lots of moments ... stayed present, listened to my staff, my coaches, and we just went one run at a time, and now we're Olympic champ,” Woods said.
While it was Woods on top of the podium, Horishima made some history of his own with his final jump, in which he landed the first 1440 cork in an Olympic final.
“During practice, I had nailed that trick, so I wanted to go for it and bring that confidence into the competition,” Horishima said.
The gutsy decision to go that big in the Olympic final drew praise from his closest rivals.
“Knowing Ikuma, he really likes to go for it,” Woods said. “I was pretty in awe ... credit to him for really going after it.”
“To do a 1440 at the Olympics is pretty incredible. It’s not an easy trick,” Kingsbury said.
Still, Horishima says he knew his score wouldn’t hold up with Kingsbury and Woods among the skiers coming behind him.
“I didn’t feel I did enough for the gold medal after the run,” he said. “I was traveling to the right side (on the run) ... and it didn’t put pressure on those guys after my run.”
For Kingsbury, who has 100 World Cup wins in his career and says this will be his last Olympics, the silver medal came with mixed emotions. Kingsbury has been on top of the sport for the better part of a decade but now had three silvers to go along with the gold he won in 2018 at the Pyeongchang Olympics.
“A little bit bittersweet, but at the same time, I'm very happy,” Kingsbury said. “I got injured in September, and the road to coming back to be on the Olympic podium is pretty incredible. I’m very proud of the work I've done.”
Horishima won bronze in Beijing and will now look to the dual moguls competition this weekend in his bid for a first Olympic gold medal.
Dual moguls sees the skiers compete side-by-side in a knockout-style tournament, with the rider with the best score moving on.
Woods also knows that victory on Thursday will only put a target on his back for Sunday’s dual event, which is being contested at the Olympics for the first time at the Milano Cortina Games.
“I’d say these boys are pretty motivated,” he said of Kingsbury and Horishima. “They’re usually fighting for the top spot. I’m going to do the exact same thing as I did today, kind of focus on myself and put down the best run that I can.”
KEYWORDS
2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, Mikael Kingsbury, Ikuma Horishima, Team Japan, Cooper Woods
Horishima takes Olympic silver in men's dual moguls behind rival Kingsbury
the japantimes/ Feb 15, 2026
Livigno, Italy – Like a pair of prize fighters in a heavyweight bout, the Olympic men's dual moguls final on Sunday came down to two of the best to ever do it: Japan's Ikuma Horishima and Canada's Mikael Kingsbury.
In the end, it was Kingsbury standing tallest on the powdery canvas, as Horishima stumbled toward the end of the run, failed to complete his second jump and had to settle for silver.
“With the Olympic gold medal on the line, and silver already guaranteed, there was that feeling of needing to go for gold,” Horishima said. “And then, facing the skier who's the king of skiing — the one I struggle with the most, the one who puts the most pressure on me. I think that's probably what led to that mistake.
Olympics: Kingsbury heads out on high, leaving lesson for rival Horishima
Mainichi Japan/ Feb 16, 2026
LIVIGNO, Italy (Kyodo) -- Reeling off five impeccable runs to win what could be the last event of his title-laden career, Canadian freestyle skiing great Mikael Kingsbury denied Japanese rival Ikuma Horishima an Olympic gold medal but also left him with a valuable lesson.
The 33-year-old Kingsbury, who has indicated Milan Cortina is his last Olympics, said he felt "no pressure" as he headed into Sunday's dual moguls competition with his game plan shrewdly mapped out.
"I knew if someone wanted to clear me from the start, he was going to make mistakes," he said. "Push hard out of the gate, put some pressure on the guys and (let them) try to pass me while I'm staying in my pocket where I'm staying tight."
The veteran said the results at Livigno Aerials and Moguls Park vindicated his approach, while also suggesting his stellar career record may have weighed on his opponents.
"It worked out, because a couple of guys pulled out," he said. "Maybe it's the presence, that's the years of experience, and they know I'm going to the bottom, I'm not going to pull out. And then I'm pretty fast."
The final pitted the current dual moguls world champion Kingsbury against reigning moguls titleholder Horishima. Kingsbury said both had "the full package" of strong turns, speed and aerials, but combining all the elements on the biggest stage was a different matter.
"We have very good absorption body position, he has very good carving style and we both do the artistic tricks," he said. "He has the 1440, (and) does it more than me. I was the first one to do it, but he did it more than me in the last years."
Kingsbury said his experience "dealing with the Olympic pressure" allowed him to stay calm in the "big moments."
Horishima made both turning and aerial mistakes during the final of the new Olympic event. Analyzing the match-up after his loss, he implied he may have conceded a psychological edge to Kingsbury.
"Looking back now, facing my trickiest opponent in Mr. Kingsbury, who puts me under pressure the most, could have affected me in making mistakes," Horishima said. "He has belief in the path he has taken, and I wonder if all that experience gave him the confidence to manage his run in the final and win gold."
Kingsbury said Horishima was "at the same level" as him and predicted the 28-year-old would "win the next two" games.
Horishima, meanwhile, said his resolve would be tested by the departure of his storied rival, who wished him good luck for the next four years as they chatted after the final.
"My motivation for beating him is more or less gone, and I have to concentrate on my own without it," Horishima said. "It will be raising the level of perfection with my 1440s for the moguls, and technicality for the dual."
"I already have lots of ideas popping up in my head to win gold, I can find lots of things to work on just by looking at my recent outings here. I'm excited my path is continuing and I believe I can do more."
