MONTREAL

Olympic gold medallist Mikael Kingsbury fractures vertebrae in training, will miss World Cup

Published Thursday, December 3, 2020 8:15AM EST Last Updated Thursday, December 3, 2020 8:21AM EST

Mikael Kingsbury, of Canada, celebrates as he finishes his final run during the World Cup freestyle men's dual moguls skiing event in Park City, Utah, on February 8, 2020. Canadian freestyle skiing star Mikael Kingsbury climbed the World Cup podium for the ninth time this season on Sunday, finishing second in a dual moguls event. The 27-year-old from Deux-Montagnes, Que., finished behind Japanese rival and friend Ikuma Horishima. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Jeff Swinger

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MONTREAL -- Quebecer Mikael Kingsbury will miss moguls races for the first time in his World Cup career after suffering a back injury in training on Sunday.

The 2018 Olympic gold medallist fractured his T4 and T5 vertebrae while training on the course in Ruka, Finland, where the first competition of the 2020-2021 season will be held this weekend.

Kingsbury, who fell after landing a jump, is expected to miss four to six weeks.

The expected timeline would see him miss the first three events of the season.

The skier from Deux-Montagnes, Que., has returned home for rehab and recovery.

"My jump was good but I landed in the wrong place. Though I tried to protect myself, my back took the brunt of the impact," Kingsbury said in a statement.

-- this report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2020.