Australia’s Jakara Anthony made history on Saturday at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan Cortina, claiming her second Olympic gold medal and her first in dual moguls. The event, held under heavy snowfall and gray skies, showcased the best women’s moguls skiers in the world, culminating in a thrilling finale that highlighted Anthony’s tenacity and skill.
The competition featured a stacked field, with all three medalists from the previous moguls event facing off against Anthony, who was seeking redemption after finishing eighth in moguls earlier in the Games. Anthony, known for her dominance in moguls skiing, proved hungrier for gold than ever.
In the big final, Anthony faced off against 2025 world champion Jaelin Kauf of the United States. Kauf, who already holds three Olympic silver medals, looked to extend her record as the most decorated women’s moguls skier in history. However, a minor mistake by Kauf allowed Anthony to surge ahead, taking the win with superior speed and form scores.
American Liz Lemley claimed the bronze medal after a razor-thin victory over France’s Perrine Laffont in the small final, edging the French skier 18-17. This added to a remarkable showing for the U.S., with Kauf and Lemley accounting for a quarter of the nation’s medals at the Games.
Anthony’s victory cements her place in Olympic history, as she becomes the first Australian athlete to win two gold medals at the Winter Olympics. At 27, she also holds the record for the most World Cup victories in a single season in women’s moguls. Remarkably, Saturday’s event was only Anthony’s second dual moguls competition in over two years, a hiatus caused by injury. Despite limited experience in dual moguls, she had dominated the 2024-25 World Cup season, winning nine of ten dual moguls events.
Kauf, one of the fastest competitors on the World Cup circuit, had clocked the fastest time in the first round of moguls qualification earlier in the Games with 24.88 seconds. Last season, she topped the World Cup dual moguls rankings, winning five events and earning the prestigious Crystal Globe.
The semifinals provided their own drama. In a head-to-head between Laffont and Kauf, both skiers faltered, with Laffont skiing outside the gates and Kauf crashing shortly afterward, though Kauf advanced. In another marquee matchup, Anthony faced Lemley in a near neck-and-neck race, with Lemley crashing off her bottom air jump to hand Anthony a clear path to the finals.
Earlier rounds saw Americans Tess Johnson and Olivia Giaccio fall in the quarterfinals after strong starts, while Laffont and Lemley advanced through crashes from their opponents Anastassiya Gorodko of Kazakhstan and Hinako Tomitaka of Japan, respectively. Both Lemley and Johnson bring extensive World Cup experience, each with four podium finishes in dual moguls, while Giaccio has earned eight World Cup podiums over her career.
While Anthony came to Milan Cortina aiming to become the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic moguls golds, she instead made history in another way, solidifying her status as one of Australia’s most decorated Winter Olympians and showcasing her extraordinary prowess in both moguls and dual moguls skiing.
Saturday’s women’s dual moguls event will be remembered not only for Anthony’s historic achievement but also for the high-stakes drama, close finishes, and fierce competition that highlighted the debut of this exciting Olympic discipline.
