CALGARY — Canadians have gotten a big update for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics — the announcement of the Olympic flag bearers.And the flag bearers are... Mikaël Kingsbury, a moguls skier, and Marielle Thompson, a ski cross skier."I had goosebumps, when I heard that I was going to be the flag bearer," said Kingsbury to CBC News, explaining he found out the news with a knock on his door."It was just insane, I didn't see it coming and yeah, very proud of it.".Thompson said she was similarly thrilled and grateful by the opportunity, expressing her disbelief at being selected out of such a wide pool of talented athletes on Team Canada.Thompson said she found out through a Zoom call.“Each of my injuries and things I’ve had to overcome have made me a better athlete, but this has really made it hard for me, so to be able to lead Canada after overcoming a lot of things this past year is really special, and I can’t wait,” stated Thompson.Both Thompson and Kingsbury's first Olympics were back in Sochi 2014..Thompson, born in Whistler, BC, won gold back in Sochi 2014 in women's ski cross.She also competed in PyeongChang 2018 only four months after undergoing surgery for a ruptured ACL and MCL.Racing for the first time after the injury, she got her fastest time in the Olympic qualification round before being eliminated later in the competition.At the Beijing 2022 Olympics, she won a silver medal less than a year after another ACL tear, which required surgery..Kingsbury, from Deux-Montagnes, Quebec, has won a medal in each Olympic Games he competed in.In Sochi 2014, he won silver, and at the PyeongChang 2018 he won gold, then winning silver at Beijing 2022 — becoming the first male moguls skier to ever win three Olympic medals.
