The main talking points from Australian National Mogul Championships
Published Fri 31 Aug 2018
Australian mogul skiers have podiumed in both the men’s and women’s Australian National Mogul Championships after two days of scintillating action on the Perisher snow.
The Championships kickstart the FIS mogul events of the 2017/18 northern season which attracts athletes from USA, Canada, Korea, Japan, France and Switzerland.
Read the four main talking points coming out of Perisher.
Japan’s Ikuma Horishima crowned Men’s champion at National Moguls Championships
Australia’s Matt Graham, James Matheson and Rohan Chapman-Davies all placed within the top five places, demonstrating a strong depth of mogul talent in the country.
Known as one of the longest and most difficult mogul championship courses in the world, skiers tackled ‘Toppa’s Dream’ jumping up to three storeys high and travelling at 10 metres-per-second over the bumps.
2018 Men’s Australian National Mogul Championships podium
- Ikuma Horishima (JPN)
- Matt Graham (AUS)
- James Matheson (AUS)
A full breakdown of results can be found by clicking here.
Aussie young gun Jakara Anthony tops Women’s Championships
PyeongChang Winter Olympians Jakara Anthony and Madii Himbury were on show to on snow spectators and off snow live stream viewers, with Anthony taking the competition after a score of 81.01, judged less than one point higher than second place.
In promising signs for Australia’s mogul skiing future, four home grown athletes lined up in the final with Jakara Anthony (1), Taylah O’Neill (6), Madii Himbury (7) and Phoebe Tudhope (16) flying the Aussie flag.
2018 Women’s Australian National Mogul Championships podium
- Anthony Jakara (AUS)
- Laffont Perrine (FRA)
- Hoshino Junko (JPN)
A full breakdown of results can be found by clicking here.
New finals format undergoes first run
As part of the Championships, a new finals format was trialled on behalf of the FIS Moguls/ Aerials Committee.
The format has been proposed as a mechanism to introducing more variety and progression in mogul skiing.
Within the new format, the “best of” format is a top 16 finals with the best of two runs counting towards the final result.
It is expected the new format will promote a more exciting and varied competition for spectators/broadcaster because athletes will feel greater freedom to perform a run with a higher degree of difficulty.
Did you watch the Australian National Mogul Championships either at Perisher or via the SNOW.tv live stream? Take the two minute survey and share your feedback on the new format – click here.
Next challenge ABOM Moguls
Mogul athletes now turn their attention to this wekeend’s annual ABOM Moguls Challenge at Mt Buller celebrating its 30th anniversary.
This event is now one of the longest running mogul race events in the world attracting the world's best skiers from across the globe.
Australian’s Matt Graham and Nicole Parks return to the Victorian ski field to defend their 2017 titles.
Graham holds the record for most victories in the event’s history after winning his sixth title last year.
Spectators can expect a mixture of speed, sills and style on show at Mt Buller this Saturday from the world-class field which includes Winter Olympians and World Cup competitors.
ABOM Moguls Challenge Event Schedule
Friday 31st of August
10:00am – 10:15am: Inspection/Course Preparation
10:15am – 12:15pm: FIS Open Training & Legends
12:50pm – 1:00pm: Youth Inspection/Course Preparation
1:00pm – 2:00pm: Youth Official Training
2:10pm: Youth/ Eliminations
4:00pm: Team Leaders Meeting - Event Office
Saturday 1st of September
10:00am – 10:05am: FIS Open Women Course Inspection
10:05am – 10:40am: Training FIS Open Women
10:50am: Single Mogul Eliminations FIS Open Women/Legends
11:35am – 11:40am: Course Inspection FIS Open Men
11:40am – 12:15pm: Training FIS Open Men/Legends
12:25p: Single Mogul Eliminations FIS Open Men/Legends
1:30pm – 1:40pm: Dual Mogul Course Inspection
1:40pm – 2:00pm: Dual Mogul Training
2:05pm: Dual Mogul Finals
5:30pm: Presentations
Image courtesy of The Mogul Skiing Academy