In a heart-stopping display of skill and nerve, Australian freestyle skier Jakara Anthony is poised to make history at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. In under 30 seconds, navigating a treacherous course of icy bumps pitched at angles steeper than most recreational ski runs, she has the opportunity to achieve what no woman in her discipline has ever done before: defend her Olympic moguls title and claim back-to-back gold medals.
At 27 years old, Anthony stands as Australia’s most prominent medal hopeful for the upcoming Games. Her standing in the sport is undeniable; she is the most decorated Australian World Cup skier of all time. Her prominence was further highlighted when she proudly carried the Australian flag at the opening ceremony last week, and she even graced the cover of Vogue magazine in January. This latter achievement is a testament to the profound impact an Olympic gold medal can have, elevating an athlete from the sporting arena into the national spotlight and broader cultural consciousness.
However, the sport of moguls is notoriously unforgiving, paying little heed to pre-event expectations. History also paints a stark picture, suggesting that even the most dominant athletes rarely manage to repeat their Olympic triumphs. To date, only one male mogul skier, Canada’s Alexandre Bilodeau, has ever achieved consecutive Olympic gold medals. The pinnacle of success in women’s moguls has yet to see a repeat champion.
Ann Batelle, a four-time Olympian and now a respected professional moguls coach based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, notes the rarity of such achievements. “There are very few people who do back-to-backs in any sport,” she observes.
Batelle also highlights the challenging nature of the Livigno course, where the competition will unfold. “Livigno’s course is 28 degrees, which is steeper than many – ours in Steamboat is 25 degrees. That makes it even more challenging. In my opinion, it’s a good thing, because it will separate the best athletes.”
Anthony arrives in Italy as the undisputed world No. 1, boasting a competitive record that is unparalleled in Australian winter sports history. Her impressive collection of accolades includes 26 World Cup gold medals and seven Crystal Globes. The Crystal Globe is the coveted trophy awarded to the athlete who accumulates the highest point total in their discipline over the entire World Cup season, signifying consistent excellence.
Hailing from Barwon Heads, Anthony’s journey in moguls began at Mount Buller. She made her debut on the World Cup circuit at the remarkably young age of 15. Her 2024 season was nothing short of spectacular, widely regarded as one of the most dominant campaigns ever recorded in women’s moguls. She achieved an astonishing 14 wins from 16 starts and secured three Crystal Globes in a single season.
For those new to the sport, moguls might appear to be a spectacle of controlled chaos. Athletes hurtle down the 235-metre course, a series of icy mounds, at high speed, launching themselves off two jumps before a final sprint to the finish line. However, the scoring system is nuanced, with speed accounting for only 20% of the total score. Another 20% is allocated to the aerial jumps. The remaining and most significant portion, 60%, is dedicated to the judging of the turns.
Judges meticulously evaluate the skiers’ technique, favouring fluid, carved turns over skidded movements. They look for controlled absorption as the athletes’ legs bend and extend over each mogul. Batelle, whose hometown of Steamboat has a remarkable legacy, having produced more Olympians than any other town in the United States, describes the ideal run as one that appears almost serene.
“Your legs stay together, your arms are out in front, your upper body is quiet,” she explains. “You ski the line that water would take if you poured a pitcher at the top of the course.”
The Art of the Carve
It is in this crucial turning aspect where Anthony truly distinguishes herself from the competition.
“She makes a really nice carve,” Batelle praises. “Her upper body doesn’t move. Her hands are perfect. She’s incredibly clean and makes very few mistakes.”
The Australian phenom is also demonstrating impeccable timing, peaking at precisely the right moment for the Games. After being sidelined for much of the previous season due to a broken collarbone, she made a triumphant return this winter, securing three World Cup victories. Her most recent triumph, in January at Waterville Valley in the US, saw her as the sole female competitor to surpass the 80-point mark, achieving an impressive score of 81.17.
The Contenders
The primary challenger to Anthony’s dominance is the formidable 2018 Olympic champion, Perrine Laffont of France. Laffont, who finished fourth in Beijing, is a notoriously fast skier and is once again a strong contender for the podium. The 2022 silver medallist, American Jaelin Kauf, brings a wealth of experience to the competition, boasting 16 career World Cup wins and 50 podium finishes. Kauf was particularly dominant during Anthony’s injury-enforced absence, clinching the overall, single, and dual moguls Crystal Globes. Another American competitor to watch is the 20-year-old Elizabeth Lemley. Despite returning from an ACL injury, Lemley has shown remarkable form, recently finishing second to Anthony at Waterville.
The Olympic Pressure Cooker
Adding another layer of complexity to the competition is the unique and intense pressure of the Olympic spotlight. For two weeks every four years, winter sports capture the global sporting imagination, drawing unprecedented media attention.
“Right now, expectations on Jakara are that she will win a second gold,” Batelle candidly states. “If she doesn’t win, it will likely be seen as a failure to the media and to many people – which is brutal.”
Anthony herself has spoken about the evolving nature of pressure throughout her Olympic journey. “Each Winter Games has been a different experience for me,” she shared in January. “My first one was going in with no real expectations, then the second as a gold medal favourite… These ones I’ll be going in as the defending champion. There’s still a lot to learn.”
Batelle’s advice for Anthony is simple yet profound: “put the blinders on.”
“If she starts thinking, ‘I have to win again,’ it will mess with her,” the coach advises. “Just ski – and Jakara knows how to ski.”
Her gold medal triumph in Beijing catapulted Jakara Anthony into national recognition. The Milano Cortina Games will serve as the ultimate test, determining whether that moment in the spotlight was a singular, historic achievement or the harbinger of an unprecedented era of dominance in women’s moguls skiing.
