Defending Olympic champion Jakara Anthony could not complete her bid to become the first woman to win moguls gold twice on Wednesday. Instead, the Australian slipped in the 2026 Winter Olympics final, finishing eighth.
The 27-year-old dominated Tuesday’s qualifiers with a score of 81.65, leading after the first final as the field narrowed from 20 to eight. But Anthony subsequently caught an edge after the second final’s first jump, spinning out and struggling to finish.
The error dropped her to eighth place, opening the door for Team USA’s Elizabeth Lemley to claim gold with a score of 82.30.
Lemley’s teammate Jaelin Kauf placed second with 80.77, marking her second consecutive Olympic moguls silver after Beijing 2022. France’s Perrine Laffont, the 2018 champion, claimed bronze with 78.00 after barely qualifying for the final.
“I’m bummed, obviously,” Anthony said after the fall.
“I think I was skiing and jumping at such a high level and skiing with good speed… I showed that in the first couple rounds, but I just didn’t put it down on that last one when it counted.”
Jakara Anthony found winning form ahead of 2026 Winter Olympics
Anthony arrived in Cortina as the event favorite after recovering from a collarbone injury that sidelined her during the 2024/25 season.
She won three of four World Cup moguls events this year, leading the FIS overall moguls standings with 26 career World Cup wins. She also broke aerial skier Jacqui Cooper’s record for most World Cup victories by an Australian in any discipline.
Anthony opened this year’s Winter Games on a high, serving as Australia’s flag bearer at last week’s Opening Ceremony. The Beijing 2022 gold medalist had hoped to secure Australia’s first Olympic medal of 2026.
Despite the setback, Anthony remains Australia’s most successful winter athlete in FIS World Cup history with 42 career podiums.
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