Team Canada ended its gold medal drought at the Winter Olympics on Day 9 of the Milano-Cortina Games as Mikaël Kingsbury won the men’s dual moguls event. After winning 26 medals at the 2022 Games, the North American nation hasn’t enjoyed as much success in Italy.
Fans of Team Canada will hope that Kingsbury’s triumph is a sign of things to come, with the nation still firmly in contention in the men’s and women’s hockey events, as well as other sports.
Team Canada Finally Ends Gold Medal Wait at 2026 Winter Olympics
For a nation that receives more than 100 inches of snow each year, Canada has not made the desired impact at the 2026 Winter Olympics. There have been a few near-misses and controversies, and a number of big names have suffered injuries or fallen short.
As of this writing, the nation sits 15th in the medal table with one gold, 4 silver, and 5 bronze medals.
According to Reuters, Canada hasn’t had to wait this long for a gold medal in 58 years – since the 1968 Games. The Canadian Olympic Committee’s CEO hopes that Kingsbury’s triumph in the men’s dual moguls event will serve as a momentum shift for the nation in Milano-Cortina.
“It’s fair to say we’re not accustomed to waiting this long for a gold medal. I got to congratulate (Kingsbury) and he remarked ‘That’s our first (gold), right?’ And he sort of expressed the feeling we all shared – hopefully that’s the first of several more to come. But there’s a lot of medal opportunities left in this competition,” David Shoemaker said to Reuters.
With this being the final week of the 2026 Winter Olympics, Canadian athletes will be determined to add more medals to the nation’s tally. And Kingsbury’s win could be just the boost the nation might have been seeking.
Kingsbury Made History With Moguls Triumph
Dual moguls is making its Olympic debut at the Milano-Cortina Games, and Kingsbury became the first gold medalist in the sport’s history. Freestyle skiing is a sport in which two athletes compete on the same track, navigating bumps, mounds, and sharp turns.
Already a five-time Olympic medalist, Kingsbury made more history on Sunday, winning the gold medal by expertly overcoming the challenges.
The 33-year-old is making his final Olympic appearance and was proud to make history for his nation. “I really wanted this one and I knew it was my last Olympic performance,” he said afterwards via Olympics.com.
“It wasn’t easy today. We had good conditions but the piste was not easy. But I just trusted my years of experience and the work of my team. I gave it my all, everything I had in my body, to go for this medal,” Kingsbury added.
Team Canada will certainly hope that Kingsbury’s triumph is a sign of things to come and that the gold medal will be the momentum shift that leads to more athletes stepping onto the top step of the podium in the coming days.
