Olympic champion Alex Bilodeau to retire after 2014 World Cup season

LA PLAGNE, France – Reigning Olympic moguls champion Alex Bilodeau will retire at the end of the World Cup season.

The Canadian Freestyle Ski Association made the announcement on Friday.

Bilodeau, of Rosemere, Que., will compete in one last event, the season-ending World Cup in La Plagne, France on Friday before hanging up his skis.

The 26-year-old is currently 31 points behind Deux-Montagnes, Que., native Mikael Kingsbury for the Crystal Globe — awarded at the end of the season to the athlete at the top of the overall world standings. Bilodeau won the FIS moguls World Cup title in 2008-2009.

Bilodeau took gold medals at both the Sochi and Vancouver Winter Games, making him the only freestyle athlete to win back-to-back Olympic titles. Kingsbury took silver in Sochi last month, and has won the Crystal Globe the last two seasons.

On the women’s side, Olympic champion Justine Dufour-Lapointe of Montreal trails American Hannah Kearney by only five points in the world standings. Kearney has won four FIS moguls World Cup titles, including the last three seasons.