Anthony finishes greatest ever season with gold in Italy

Words & images courtesy of OWIA

Jakara Anthony’s record breaking season has finished in the best possible way, with a gold medal performance in the dual moguls overnight at the World Cup in Valmalenco, Italy, extending her record for the most ever wins in a season for a mogul skier to 14, in the greatest season ever by an Australian winter sports athlete.

Anthony also collected her third World Cup Champion Crystal Globes for the season, after finishing ranked first in single moguls, dual moguls and the overall which combines both mogul disciplines.

Anthony cruised through the early rounds of the event to again reach the big final against world number two Jaelin Kauf of the USA.

In a close final with both skier’s neck-and-neck throughout the run, Anthony prevailed with a score of 20 to 15, with her superior jumps and turns giving the 2022 Olympic champion the 22nd victory of her impressive career and only two wins behind aerial skiing legend Jacqui Cooper who leads all Australian winter sport athletes with 24 career victories.

“It’s been a rough week, I have been sick since the event last weekend in Kazakhstan, so pretty stoked to come out and put down some high quality runs and get the job done” said the 25-year-old from Barwon Heads in Victoria.

“The season has been absolute wild, it’s hard to put it into words, I am super proud of what I have been able to achieve with my team around me, and the skiing and jumping I have been able to do.”

“World Championship gold is the only major medal I don’t have now, and we have the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games coming up which will be the first time dual moguls are in the Olympics. Me and my team are just going to keep ticking along, trying to change things every year and get better.”