Alexandre Bilodeau facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Alexandre Bilodeau

Alpine skier
Bilodeau in 2010
Born	(1987-09-08) September 8, 1987 (age 37) Montreal, Quebec
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
World Cup debut	December 14, 2005 (age 18)
Website	Official site: https://www.alexbilodeau.ca/en-ca
Olympics
Teams	3 (2006–2014)
Medals	2 (2 gold)
World Championships
Teams	4 (2007–2013)
Medals	5 (3 gold)
World Cup
Seasons	9 (2006–2014)
Wins	19
Podiums	48
Overall titles	1 (2009)
Discipline titles	1: moguls (2009)
Medal record International freestyle ski competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 0 0 World Championships 3 2 0 Total 5 2 0 Men's freestyle skiing Representing  Canada Olympic Games Gold 2010 Vancouver Moguls Gold 2014 Sochi Moguls World Championships Gold 2009 Inawashiro Dual moguls Gold 2011 Deer Valley Dual moguls Gold 2013 Voss Dual moguls Silver 2011 Deer Valley Moguls Silver 2013 Voss Moguls

Alexandre Bilodeau (born September 8, 1987) is a Canadian retired freestyle skier. He is from Rosemère, Quebec, and now lives in Montreal. Alexandre is famous for winning two Olympic gold medals in moguls.

He made history at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He became the first Canadian to win a gold medal at an Olympic Games held in Canada. At the 2014 Winter Olympics, he won gold again. This made him the first Olympian ever to win two gold medals in any freestyle skiing event. He was also the first Canadian to defend an individual Olympic title since Catriona Le May Doan in 2002.

Alexandre has won three World Championship titles in dual moguls. He also has two silver medals in moguls from the World Championships. In the 2008–09 season, he was the FIS World Cup champion for moguls. He also won the overall freestyle skiing title that year. In his last World Cup race, he won, setting a new record for most World Cup medals by a Canadian.

Skiing Career

In 2006, Alexandre finished 12th at the Olympics. Later that year, he became the youngest person to win a World Cup moguls event. He finished second overall in the 2005–06 World Cup standings. He also won the "FIS rookie of the year" award.

In February 2009, he won four World Cup events in a row. He was part of two Canadian "sweeps" where Canadians won all three top spots in moguls. He did this with Vincent Marquis and Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau. After these wins, Alexandre secured the 2009 overall moguls title. At the 2009 Freestyle World Championships, he placed eighth in moguls. Then, he won a gold medal in the dual moguls event.

2010 Winter Olympics Success

Alexandre was part of the Canadian moguls team at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He competed on February 14 in good weather. He finished second in the qualification round.

In the final run, Alexandre performed amazing jumps. He did a "back double full" on his first jump and a "back iron cross" on the second. His jumps and style, combined with a very fast run, earned him 26.75 points. This score won him the gold medal! It was a huge moment for Canada. He was the first Canadian to win a gold medal at an Olympics held in Canada.

His gold medal win made Canadians very happy. People celebrated all over Vancouver and across the country. The next day, 22,000 people watched him receive his medal. After his win, Alexandre and fellow skier Jennifer Heil donated $25,000 to charity. Alexandre gave his share to a group that helps children with cerebral palsy. He wanted to help others, just as his brother had inspired him.

Friendly Rivalry with Kingsbury

Alexandre didn't win a World Cup event in the 2009–10 season. He finished fourth in the World Cup standings. The next season, he earned several podium finishes before the World Championships. At the Worlds, he won a silver medal in moguls, finishing ahead of his teammate Mikaël Kingsbury.

Then, Alexandre competed in the dual moguls event at the World Championships. He made it to the final, where he competed against Kingsbury. Alexandre won the gold, defending his world title in dual moguls, after Kingsbury had a small fall.

Alexandre later shared that the 2014 Olympics would be his last. He had been taking time off from skiing to study accounting at Concordia University. He said he wanted to have fun in his last races. He also felt it was a great challenge to try and defend his Olympic medal.

At the 2013 World Championships, Alexandre finished second. Kingsbury won his first World Championship title that year. Alexandre then competed in the dual moguls final. He faced Kingsbury again and won, earning his third straight World Champion title in dual moguls.

2014 Winter Olympics Victory

Leading up to the 2014 Olympics, Alexandre and Kingsbury often traded wins. Kingsbury often finished ahead of Alexandre. This friendly competition continued at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Alexandre managed to beat Kingsbury in the final run, even though Kingsbury made a few small mistakes.

Once again, the two Canadians finished first and second. With this win, Alexandre became the first freestyle skier to defend his Olympic gold medal. He was also the first Canadian to defend an individual Olympic gold since Catriona Le May Doan in 2002. Le May Doan was the first Canadian to repeat gold, and Alexandre became the second, and the first male.

Retirement

On March 21, 2014, Alexandre Bilodeau announced he would retire from competitive skiing. This was after the 2013–14 FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup season.

Honours and Awards

Alexandre has received several important awards:

• In 2012, he was given the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.
• In 2017, he received the Medal of Honour from the National Assembly of Quebec.
• In 2019, he was awarded the Order of Sport. This meant he was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

Personal Life

Alexandre Bilodeau's parents are Serge Bilodeau and Sylvie Michaud. He has an older brother named Frédéric, who has cerebral palsy. Doctors once thought Frédéric wouldn't be able to walk by age 12, but he still can walk today at 28. Frédéric is a huge inspiration to Alexandre. Alexandre also has a younger sister, Béatrice, who was also a mogul skier.

When he was a child, Alexandre loved playing hockey. But his mom got tired of taking him, Frédéric, and Béatrice to different hockey rinks. So, she encouraged him to try downhill skiing instead. This happened shortly after Alexandre saw Jean-Luc Brassard win Olympic gold in moguls at the 1994 Winter Olympics. So, at age seven, Alexandre decided to quit hockey and try moguls. He still enjoys playing hockey for fun.

Alexandre went to Collège Jean-Eudes, a high school in Montreal where he studied science. He later studied accounting at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University.

Alexandre says his heroes are his brother Frédéric and Canadian freestyle skier Jean-Luc Brassard. In his free time, he likes skiing and playing the piano. He speaks both French and English very well. After retiring from skiing, he continued his studies to become an accountant.

Results

Alexandre Bilodeau with his 2010 Winter Olympics gold medal

Olympic results

World Cup results

World Cup victories

Source

World Championship results

Source

See also

In Spanish: Alexandre Bilodeau para niños