Britt Cox and Matt Graham were the best performed of the Aussies on Dual Moguls day at the 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships, each posting a top 10 result. 
 
Cox finished seventh overall after going down to Kazakhstan’s Yulia Galysheva in their round of eight heat.

​Galysheva went on to win silver. 
 
“Yulia is an excellent skier, a fast skier and I tried to put up a good fight but she was definitely a clear winner in that one,” Cox said.  

“Dual Moguls is so much fun but anything can happen. There’s generally a lot of upsets and I went in there trying to put down run after run," she said. 
 
Earlier in the day it was an all Aussie affair in the women's event when Cox went head to head against her young compatriot Jakara Anthony in the round of 16. Cox earned her quarter final berth with a 21 - 14 victory against 18-year-old Anthony who is competing at her first World Championships.
 
Anthony went on to finish 16 from a field of 31 starters. Fellow Aussie Madi Himbury was eliminated in the round of 32 and finished 24th. France's Perrine Lafont won gold. 

In the men's event Matt Graham made it to the round of 16 where he drew American skier Thomas Rowley as his opponent.  The closely contested heat was awarded to Rowley which saw Graham finish 10th in the overall standings.
 
Brodie Summers and James Matheson could not advance from the round of 32, finishing 18th and 28th respectively.

The men's final was not without drama with both finalists crashing before the finish. Ikuma Horishima of Japan and Wilson Bradley of the United States pushed the limits and scrambled to the line in an effort to win gold with victory ultimately being awarded to Horishima.  

The 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships brings to an end the 2016/17 Mogul Skiing season.  
 
 

SIERRA NEVADA, SPAIN| Britt Cox has won gold at the 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships, eclipsing a strong field to become Australia’s first ever Single Mogul Skiing World Champion.
 
The win caps an incredible season for Cox, who recently won the women’s Mogul Skiing World Cup crown, a second feat no Australian has previously achieved.
 
“All season this was the event in the back of my mind, this was the event that I really wanted to be successful at,” Cox said.
 
“To be successful here and ski the way I did, I couldn’t be happier,” she said. 
 
Cox set the pace early in Wednesday’s event, qualifying in first position with 80.23 points. In the round of 18 she lifted again, scoring 82.82 points to maintain her lead over the 34 strong field. 
 
It was in the round of six where Cox earned her world champion status, scoring a commanding 83.63 points to defeat France’s Perrine Laffont who finished second with 82.51. The reigning Olympic and World Champion Justine Dufour-Lapointe of Canada was third with 80.74. 
 
“A lot of people have been asking me what clicked this season and I don’t think anything necessary clicked, it was more a matter of all the training I have done over a number of years finally paying off for me,” Cox said.
 
“One of the things my coaches are huge advocates for are basics and fundamentals and I’ve learnt from them that to be successful consistently you have to master those basics and fundamentals and we’ve worked hard on that for a long time and I think it’s finally starting to pay off for me,” she said. 
 
For Cox, Spain’s mild conditions were a fond reminder of skiing in Australia and she thrived in the environment.
 
“It was so unbelievably warm it felt like skiing back in Australia and I had so much fun today, you couldn’t ask for better weather for the final event of the season,” she said.
 
With the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games now her focus, the two-time Olympian says she has more to give.
 
“In my head I’m watching the runs I’ve done this season and there’s still so much more I want to do with my skiing and I have so many opportunities and training camps to come where I can build upon that and work on my skiing to hopefully put myself in the best position to do the run of my life next year,” she said.  
 
In the men’s event Australia’s Brodie Summers, Matt Graham and Rohan Chapman-Davies did not progress to the round of six instead bowing out in the round of 18. Summers was best ranked of the Aussies finishing in 11th position earning 79.58 points for his final run. Graham’s final run scored 78.09 which ranked him 14th overall and Chapman-Davies was 15th with 76.93 points. James Matheson finished 29th with a 73.14 point run. 
 
Competing at her first World Championships, 18-year old Jakara Anthony finished 12th in the women’s event, producing a solid 75.45 in the round of 18. It was also Madi Himbury's first World Championships and she finished  20th with 68.91 points. 
 
The Aussies return to Sierra Nevada’s Moguls course on Thursday to contest the Duals event.

With the Mogul Skiing World Cup season done and dusted all that remains are the World Championship titles to be decided in Sierra Nevada, Spain over the next twelve days beginning  tomorrow - Wednesday, March 8.

Following the World Cup Final last week in China the OWIA/NSWIS mogul squad headed to  Spain for recovery and training.

The red-hot favourite for the Ladies World Championship is 22-year-old Britt Cox, the season’s Overall FIS Ladies Freestyle Skiing Crystal Globe winner who has seven victories in eleven events to her credit.  

After being presented the Overall Crystal Globe last weekend, Cox was justifiably pleased with her season.  

“I am so happy to be able to do the skiing I had envisioned for myself and I’m grateful for my support network in helping me do just that,” she said.

OWIA team mates Matt Graham – who took third overall in the FIS Men’s Mogul Skiing - and Brodie Summers have also had a successful season, but coaches Steve Desovich and Jerry Grossi say there is much to do.

"Now that we are in Spain the focus is obviously to take everything from the season and create key objectives and goals to get the skiers on track," coach Desovich said.

“This season has been a wonderful surprise thus far and we are very pleased with the skills and performances (of the athletes).”

“Coming into the season we really did not know how the team would stack up - so it’s good to see all their hard work pay off,” he said.

After arriving in Spain, the mogul team had the use of the Centro de alto Rendimiento Sierra Nevada (commonly known as CAR Sierra Nevada Altitude Training Centre), which is one of the finest sports facilities in the world.  

"We opted to arrive into Sierra Nevada early to recover and relax with on-going strength and conditioning,” Desovich explained.

“The recovery process is a real science and art that John Marsden (OWIA Head of Athlete Preparation) handles quite well. The opportunity also allows for individual customisation to optimize and affect the athletes’ potential. We are quite fortunate to have a man of John’s calibre on board for this period."

Co-coach Jerry Grossi, who was originally an aerial skier, is responsible for the jumps in the OWIA mogul program.
Grossi agrees that the success of the Australians in moguls this year has surprised everyone, but he and Desovich see far more potential.

“We hope that the recent success of our athletes motivates them to work harder and realize their true potential, Grossi said.
 
“We still have a ton of work to do. They know it, we know it. We want this season to give them the confidence to go after it a lot harder, and have the mind set to do whatever it takes to improve quality and performance.”
 
It’s tough school at the top.
 
“As their jump coach, I see where we could improve and areas to be fixed. We will continue to work hard and focus on technique and improving jump quality, which will have direct effect across the board.”
 
“The guys seem very motivated now. They are looking forward to going to work and sealing any cracks up for good.”
 
“Our goal for next season is to have an impenetrable package with high quality top to bottom runs.”  
 
Next season aside, the immediate goal is the World Championships, which begins with Ladies qualifying for Britt Cox and NSWIS skiers Jakara Anthony  and Madi Himburyon Wednesday evening 7.40pm (AEDT).  
 
Men’s qualifying follows at 21.50pm for Matt Graham and Brodie Summers plus NSWIS athletes Rohan Chapman-Davies and James Matheson.
 
The mens and ladies finals will be broadcast live at midnight, Wednesday 8 March on Eurosport and can also be viewed on a  live stream via Ski & Snowboard Australia at https://www.skiandsnowboard.org.au/2017-snowboard--freestyle-world-champs/
Mogul Duals will be comepted on Thursday, March 9 and again will be live on Eurosport or via live stream on the Ski & Snowboard Australia website.