Australia’s Jakara Anthony secures history with first-ever Olympic dual moguls gold
Jakara Anthony claimed her second career gold and Australia’s third at the Milano Cortina Games, capturing the inaugural Olympic dual moguls title. The 27-year-old entered the new event with unwavering resolve after a stumble in the Beijing regular moguls final prevented her from defending the title.
Anthony burst through the early dual moguls rounds with relentless efficiency, then defeated three Americans in succession, including the singles champion Elizabeth Lemley in the semi-finals. In the format where skiers race side-by-side down the Livigno course and scoring weighs turns, jumps, and speed, the Victorian overcame another American, Jaelin Kauf, in the big final to seize the crown. The judges awarded Anthony 20 points to Kauf’s 15. A sea of Australian fans cheered from the sidelines, waving yellow inflatable kangaroos in celebration.
Kauf earned her second silver medal of the Games, while a shaken Lemley took bronze by beating France’s Perrine Laffont in the small final. Anthony’s victory makes her the first Australian winter athlete to win two gold medals, contributing to 2026 becoming the country’s most successful Winter Games to date. Alongside moguls star Anthony, Cooper Woods and snowboard cross athlete Josie Baff joined Australia’s Olympic champions in Italy, while Scotty James earned a silver in the men’s snowboard halfpipe.
At the medal ceremony, Anthony broke into a broad smile as she celebrated her historic second Olympic gold. She had been favored to win the singles but faltered on her second run, finishing eighth in that event. In singles moguls, competitors ski solo and the highest score wins.
Snowboarder Scotty James, coming off a painful halfpipe final loss, signaled his intention to keep competing, eyeing another attempt at Olympic gold in four years. At 35 by then, he also anticipated facing a rising group of Japanese skiers, led by Yuto Totsuka, who edged James Friday night to claim back-to-back halfpipe gold for Japan.
“We all have rough moments; it’s OK to be upset, to cry, to feel frustrated, or to miss the mark,” James, 31, reflected. “Tomorrow the sun will rise, and I’ll hand the medal to my son. He may not understand what it is yet, but it will be a proud moment.”
Earlier Saturday, heartbreak hit Laura Peel as she withdrew from the Olympics. The two-time aerials world champion sustained a serious knee injury, rupturing her ACL during pre-Games training in Airolo, Switzerland, in February, and ultimately decided she could not compete at this level. Prior to the injury, Peel had shown strong form, including a World Cup victory in Canada and was viewed as a realistic medal contender in Italy.
Peel announced on social media that she had been giving everything to pursue her Olympic dream, but her knee could not withstand a 15-meter jump. “Two weeks ago I took a hard hit in training and ruptured my ACL, along with other injuries,” she wrote. “I have poured everything into this moment, but my knee isn’t stable enough to take that leap. This sport can feel cruel, but the people it has brought into my life will always mean more than any medal.”
