Cooper Woods Stuns Mikael Kingsbury in Olympic Moguls Tiebreak Thriller
In a breathtaking upset at the Milan Cortina Olympics, unheralded Australian freestyle skier Cooper Woods seized the gold medal from the sport's most decorated athlete, Mikael Kingsbury of Canada, in a nail-biting tiebreak scenario during Thursday's men's moguls final. Both competitors posted identical scores of 83.71 points, but the victory was ultimately determined by the slimmest of margins in the turns component.
How the Tiebreak Unfolded
The tiebreaker in moguls skiing hinges on the turns score, which accounts for 60% of the total points, while jumps and speed each contribute 20%. In this high-stakes showdown, Woods edged out Kingsbury with a turns score of 48.40 to 47.70, a mere 0.70-point difference that decided the Olympic champion. This razor-thin gap highlighted the intense precision required in the sport, where every maneuver through the bumps can make or break a medal dream.
Kingsbury's Heartbreaking Silver
Mikael Kingsbury, a 33-year-old veteran who recently became the first moguls skier to achieve 100 World Cup wins, expressed mixed emotions after the race. "It was close, a tiebreak, unfortunately I'm the guy not on the good side of it," he said. Reflecting on his journey, Kingsbury noted the challenges of aging and a September injury, stating, "I've worked very hard for this medal. At some point it felt like it was impossible to be back at that level." This silver adds to his previous second-place finishes in 2014 and 2022, alongside his gold from the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
Woods' Emotional Victory
For Cooper Woods, a 25-year-old with only one podium finish in 51 World Cup events, the win was a monumental achievement. Overwhelmed with emotion, he said, "(I'm) speechless, super emotional, very proud. I didn't have any expectations this morning. I just wanted to go out and ski my runs and stay true to what I know I can achieve." He added, "It's not often that you get one over Mikael, so I'll take it when I can." Woods wept with joy as Australian fans celebrated in the stands, with one waving an inflatable wallaby in support.
Bronze and Context
Ikuma Horishima of Japan secured the bronze medal, repeating his podium performance from four years ago. This event follows the women's moguls competition, where American athletes claimed gold and silver on Wednesday, underscoring a week of dramatic freestyle skiing at the Olympics.
