Article: Kingsbury delivers Canada’s first gold as Day 9 brings breakthroughs in moguls, hockey and pairs skating
Nine days into the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Team Canada finally struck gold — and it came from a familiar source. Freestyle skiing star Mikaël Kingsbury reclaimed the top step of the Olympic podium, powering to victory in men’s dual moguls to secure Canada’s first gold medal of the Games and his fifth Olympic medal overall.
Kingsbury’s win carried extra weight. After settling for silver in the individual moguls earlier in the week, the “moguls king” responded with a statement performance in the head-to-head dual format. He told CBC Sports he felt motivated by the chatter that Canada might be “a little cursed” at these Games, saying he wanted to be the one to break that narrative and deliver the breakthrough gold for his country. The moment was made even more meaningful with family in attendance, including his son, as Kingsbury indicated this is expected to be his final Olympics.
Source: CBC live updates story
Hockey rout sends Canada straight to the quarterfinals
Canada’s men’s hockey team ensured there was no late-day letdown, rolling past France in a lopsided preliminary-round finale that ended as a 10–2 demolition. The win sends Canada directly to the quarterfinals, with later group games determining their next opponent.
The game also carried a milestone for captain Sidney Crosby, whose three-point outing brought him to 16 career Olympic points, setting a new Canadian record for male Olympic hockey players.
Source: CBC live updates story
Canadian pairs set up a medal chase — and a hard-earned qualification
In figure skating, Canada got a jolt of momentum in the pairs short program. Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud delivered a confident skate that earned a personal best 74.60, placing them third and squarely in podium contention heading into the free skate.
Meanwhile, reigning world champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps endured a tense return after Stellato-Dudek recently suffered a head injury in training. A fall late in the program left them well off their best, but they still did enough to qualify for the free skate — a critical accomplishment given Stellato-Dudek was only cleared to compete five days ago, leaving minimal time to prepare on Olympic ice.
Source: CBC live updates story
Strate rebounds in ski jumping, but misses the podium
Canada’s Abigail Strate showcased resilience in the women’s large hill ski jumping final. After a difficult first round (117 metres) amid challenging conditions, she responded with an impressive 131.5-metre second jump. The comeback, however, wasn’t enough to get her into medal position, and she finished 11th overall. Strate was critical of the jury’s decision to let athletes jump in shifting winds, saying the timing left some competitors at a significant disadvantage.
Source: CBC live updates story
Curling win and a rules wrinkle
Canada’s men’s curling team continued its strong round-robin play with a 6–3 win over China, improving to 4–1 and staying near the top of the standings. Off the ice, the tournament also saw another shift in how officials handle the ongoing “double-touching” controversy: World Curling adjusted its umpire monitoring protocol, moving to a request-based approach for monitoring deliveries.
Source: CBC live updates story
What Day 9 meant for Team Canada
Day 9 wasn’t just about one medal — it was a tone change. Kingsbury’s gold finally put Canada atop the podium at these Games, hockey delivered a confidence-boosting rout and direct quarterfinal passage, and the pairs event offered both a genuine medal opportunity and a hard-earned survival story. With momentum building across multiple sports, Canada’s Olympic narrative looks far less “cursed” — and much more dangerous — heading into the next slate of competition.