In an exhilarating display of talent, Jakara Anthony has triumphed once again, clinching the gold medal at the World Cup moguls event held in Val Saint-Côme, Canada. This impressive victory not only adds to her accolades but also elevates her to the top position in the overall standings of the competition.
Meanwhile, her teammate Matt Graham secured the silver medal, marking his second consecutive podium finish and propelling him to the pinnacle of the men's overall standings. This remarkable achievement signifies a historic moment in World Cup history, as it is the first instance where both the leaders in the women's and men's categories are Australians.
After a month-long hiatus, caused by the cancellation of the Idre Fjäll event mid-January, both of Australia's Olympic medalist skiers showcased that their competitive edge remained intact, especially with the Milano-Cortina Games just 27 days away.
Unfortunately, thick fog disrupted visibility and led to the cancellation of the women's finals. As a result, Anthony was declared the winner based on her stellar performance during the qualification round. "It was a different kind of victory tonight; it felt like a rather unusual competition day," reflected the 27-year-old athlete. "However, I'm grateful that my performance in qualifications worked out in my favor since the finals were called off."
On the other hand, the men's competition went ahead as scheduled, where Canadian star Mikaël Kingsbury made headlines by achieving his milestone 100th World Cup gold medal. After missing the first two rounds of the season due to injury, this victory on his home turf was especially gratifying for Kingsbury. "It’s unreal; I’m at a loss for words," exclaimed the 33-year-old from Quebec, who celebrated his first win at the tender age of 18. "To achieve this in front of my hometown crowd and family is surreal. At times, I doubted whether I would even get this opportunity due to my injury. What an incredible day! I can hardly believe I've reached 100 wins."
Taking second place behind Kingsbury was Australian Graham, who is in remarkable form this season. The silver medalist from the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, who finished just behind Kingsbury then, seems poised to be a serious contender when the Olympic moguls competition kicks off next month in Livigno.
"Today was clearly a positive day for me, and I’m thrilled with how I adapted given the conditions," the 31-year-old stated. "It rained almost all day, which led to significant delays before the qualification round. We had to wait for two hours, then gearing up for the qualification round was quite a challenge. At that time, we weren’t sure if it would be a single-run event or if finals would occur, so I had to focus and deliver a performance that would ensure a good outcome.
"It was monumental for Mikaël to secure his 100th World Cup win, and I’m glad I could share that moment with him. We've been rivals for a long time and have shared many podiums together. I’m also proud to have prevented him from winning on three separate occasions, but truly, I am incredibly happy for him and his family."
Anthony's victory at Val Saint-Côme marks her 25th gold medal in World Cup history, while Graham celebrates his 29th podium finish. Notably, Anthony's win brings her just one gold medal shy of Jacqui Cooper's all-time record. "I’m very excited to don the yellow jersey again; I haven’t worn it since the 2024/2025 season," Anthony expressed. "It's even more special to see Matt wearing the yellow jersey alongside me. I believe this is a first for Australia."
In the men's field, George Murphy and Cooper Woods finished in 19th and 21st places respectively, failing to qualify for the finals, while Jackson Harvey secured a commendable seventh place. On the women's side, Charlotte Wilson finished 17th and Emma Bosco came in at 27th.
Additionally, over in Aspen, USA, Valentino Guseli narrowly missed out on a podium finish in the snowboard halfpipe World Cup event, finishing fourth and falling short by just 2.5 points.
