It’s an auspicious season for both Australian mogul skiing and mogul skier Jakara Anthony. The 25 year old from Barwon Heads in Victoria won her eleventh World Cup victory of the 23/24 season, winning the dual mogul event in Deer Valley USA.
That first place podium has come with so much more. The eleventh win ties with Hannah Kearney (USA) for the most World Cup victories in a single season by a mogul skier.
The gold is also her 18th victory of her career, surpassing two time Olympic medallist Dale Begg-Smith’s 17 FIS WC victories.
But wait, there’s more. She also secured the FIS World Cup Mogul Skiing Overall Crystal Globe (after securing the singles mogul Crystal Globe last week).
In front of the largest crowd of the season under lights on the Champion run, Anthony cruised through the round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final rounds to reach the big final.
In the gold medal run, Anthony faced her main rival this season, American Jaelen Kauf, with Anthony putting down another flawless run to take the win with a score of 22 points to 13 from the judges. In head-to-head duals against Kauf this season, Anthony has the edge with four victories to one.
Rounding out the podium in third place was Olivia Giaccio who is also from the USA.
”That’s definitely one of my best competition runs I have ever done, and especially my best here on the Champion run, so to do that in the big final against Jaelin was a pretty special moment” said Anthony.
“There is no event World Cup like this one, the atmosphere is incredible, the whole finish area is packed with people so to get to perform and put on a show for them is a really special feeling.”
“Locking up eleven wins and equalling Hannah Kearney for the record for the most in the season is absolutely mind blowing.”
Cooper Woods was the highest placed Australian in the men’s event, reaching the quarter-final stage in seventh place, with George Murphy 33rd, Oliver Logan 36th and Matt Graham in 51st.
Three World Cup events remain this season, with the next competition set to take place in a months’ time in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on March 8-9, with the final event of the season in Valmalenco, Itay, on March 16.
“It’s a really big season for us this year, we have already had 13 competition starts with three to go. We are going to get a training camp in next, and fine tune some of the finer details of my run, and then get back out there in Kazakhstan and wrap the season up in Italy,” said Anthony.
