NSWIS mogul skier Jakara Anthony continued her best ever winter season at the Mont Tremblant World Cup in Canada with a silver medal.

20-year-old Anthony scored 75.08 to narrowly miss out on the gold medal which France’s Perrine Laffont won with a 75.51. Canada’s Justine Lapointe-Dufour won the bronze with 73.67, just in front of her sister Chloe in fourth.

Anthony has made the final of every event this season, and her third podium, which is a promising sign ahead of the 2019 World Championships, kicking off in Utah at the end of the week.

“I couldn’t be happier right now, backing up another podium from last week’s gold medal,” Anthony said.

“Now I’m really looking forward to World Championships in Deer Valley next week.”
Britt Cox also qualified for women’s finals, finishing 12th overall. Taylah O’Neill missed out on a spot in the final by one place, finishing 17th, Sophie Ash placed 20th and Claudia Gueli did not finish.
Matt Graham was once again the top placed Aussie in the men’s event, finishing in 4th place just missing the podium. Brodie Summers finished 21st, Rohan Chapman-Davies 26th, James Matheson 33rd and Cooper Woods-Topalovic 43rd.

IMAGE: Jakara Anthony (left) celebrates her second place finish on the Mont Tremlant podium © FIS

Georgia Thompson
olympics.com.au

NSWIS mogul skier Jakara Anthony has claimed her first ever World Cup gold medal at the Lake Placid World Cup tour event, beating out France’s Perrine Laffont and USA’s Tess Johnson.

The 20-year-old set one of the fastest times of the day while also landing both of her jumps to top the leaderboard with 78.76, after qualifying through to the final in fourth position.

Anthony, who finished fourth at her Olympic debut at Pyeonchang in 2018, was ecstatic with her first World Cup victory.

“I’m so stoked! I had a great day on the course, it was epic conditions and I put down some runs I’m super stoked with, got all the bits and pieces together I was working on and managed to come away on top, I couldn’t be happier right now,” Anthony said.

“I’ve just had a great time skiing in Lake Placid and the course here is probably the all-time best on the World Cup tour.”

The win was Anthony’s second podium this season to go with consistent top five finishes, showing encouraging form in the leadup to the 2019 World Championships in Utah in February.

“I’ve stepped up my game this season and it’s paying off with my results.”

“Now we have the next stop coming in Tremblant with the world champs in Deer Valley following up right after that so I’ll be definitely looking to back this up in the following weeks.”

Pyeongchang silver medallist Matt Graham continued the successful day for the Australians, taking bronze behind France’s Benjamin Cavet and Sweden’s Walter Wallberg.

“I’m stoked to finish up with a bronze medal today,” Graham said. “Special congratulations to Jakara for her first World Cup win, I’m sure there’s many more to come.”

Fellow Aussies Britt Cox and Brodie Summers also made it through to the finals, finishing 9th and 13th respectively.

Also in action for Australia but missing out on finals where Taylah O'Neill in 21st, Claudia Gueli 24th, Sophie Ash 25th, Rohan Chapman-Davies 2th and Cooper Woods-Topalovic 34th.

IMAGE: Jakara Anthony & Matt Graham, medallists in Lake Placid © OWIA/Lachy Keevers

olympics.com.au

Australia’s Mogul Skiing Team kicked off the New Year with the Calgary World Cup over the weekend, while unpredictable weather hampered Australia’s Skeleton and Alpine athletes.

NSWIS skiers Jakara Anthony and Matt Graham were the top placed mogul skiers in Calgary, both recording 4th place finishes in their respective events. Britt Cox and James Matheson also put down top-10 performances, both finishing 9th.

PyeongChang silver medallist Graham qualified in second place for the first final, but said he still needs to give more to boost him back up into the medal positions.

“Yesterday went quite well for me and I am happy to come away with a 4th place,” he said. “I didn't ski my best runs in the finals so I still have a lot left in the tank moving forward.

“After qualifying second, putting down two solid finals runs is something that I am looking to build on this week going into Lake Placid [World Cup].

“We have a big few weeks leading up to the World Championships so putting down consistent performances each week is a high priority.”

Claudia Gueli qualified for her fourth individual World Cup final, placing 14th overall in the women’s event. Fellow Aussie Sophie Ash placed 24th and unfortunately Taylah O’Neill had a crash on course and didn’t record a finishing score.

In the men’s event, Sochi Olympian Brodie Summers narrowly missed out on a place in the top-16 final, placing 17th in qualifiers. Rohan Chapman-Davies placed 32nd and Cooper Woods-Topalovic 38th.

IMAGE - The Mogul Course at the Canadian Olympic Park (COP)  © Mateusz Kielpinski (FIS)

Georgia Thompson
olympics.com.au

The opening Mogul Skiing World Cup of the season took place over the weekend in Ruka, Finland.

All Aussie women qualified for the finals with NSWIS athlete Jakara Anthony continuing her strong Olympic form with a fourth-place finish. Triple Olympian Britt Cox finished 10th and Taylah O'Neill placed 16th.

In the men’s competition, PyeongChang silver medallist Matt Graham was the top placed Aussie in 8th place and said that result was a decent start to the season, given the challenging circumstances.

“I thought today was a reasonable start to the season for me,” he said. “Last year didn't go well for me here so I wanted to get a good result to kick the season off on a positive note.

“We had quite a terrible preparation for this event with a lack of snow in Finland so it made it difficult to be at the level I needed to be at to compete against the best guys.

“With the lack of snow and training due to a sore shin, I am happy to come away with the result I got. I changed up my jump package adding a cork 720 grab on the top jump for the first time which was a nice change and I think will help me throughout the season with the added degree of difficulty.”

Sochi 2014 Olympian Brodie Summers, who was forced to withdraw from competition at PyeongChang at the eleventh hour after he re-injured his knee, made his successful return to competition, qualifying for the finals and placing 14th overall.

PyeongChang Olympians Rohan Chapman-Davies placed 27th and James Matheson finished 33rd.

The Mogul Team now head to China for the second World Cup event in Thaiwoo on December 15 and 16.

Georgia Thompson
olympics.com.au

Australia’s full contingent moguls team have enjoyed their first training run on the PyeongChang 2018 course – and they believe the conditions are primed for Australian success.

Four Australian men and four Australian women will compete in the freestyle skiing event, beginning with qualifications on Day 0 (Friday 9 February).
The team competed on the Phoenix Snow Park course in February 2017 but recent adjustments to the moguls has put the competition into Australia’s advantage.

“The moguls are actually quite big and firm which adds a bit more technicality to the course,” Sochi Olympian Matt Graham said.

“Last year from my perspective the course may have been slightly easy so they’ve done a really good job to build the top section up and put a bit more pitch and firmer and icier moguls in which I think will work into [Australia’s] favour as we’re generally really technical skiers so that gives us a lot of confidence going forward into the week.”

Graham, who is competing in his second Winter Olympic Games, said the course design would "separate the men from the boys".

“For us [the course is] quite normal; it’s 250m, it’s about 28 degrees in pitch but what can change is just the snow conditions, the shape of the moguls, the transitions to the jumps.

“That’s the stuff they can really manipulate to make the course more technical, and for us we thrive on technical courses and challenging courses.”

Fellow men’s mogul skier Brodie Summers – who is also lining up for his second Olympic berth – agreed that the course was tough but was a welcome personal challenge.

Returning from major surgery on his ACL in September 2017, Summers relished his the opportunity to try out the Winter Olympic venue just days before competition.

“Last night I looked at it and I thought this will be a really good test for [for my knee] because as we’ve discussed the conditions are quite challenging and it’s a technical course,” he said.

“But after the first two runs I warmed up, I relaxed into it and I had a really good time.

“I looked at the video after training and I thought ‘you know what, the skiing’s not looking too bad’ so I’m feeling good about where I’m at.”

Olympic debutant Jakara Anthony said for the moment, the experience felt similar to her World Cup appearances – which is good news for Australia given the 19-year-old finished fifth at the first Deer Valley World Cup in January this year.

“I’m just trying to approach it the same as a World Cup so that I can put together the run that I’m trying to do, similar to what I’ve been doing all season,” Anthony said.

Still, it will be an incredibly tough battle for a spot on the podium and some of Anthony’s greatest threats are her teammates, including world number 4 Britt Cox  who will make her third Olympic start at just 23 years of age.

Cox, who took out the World Championship title in Sierra Nevada, Spain, in March 2017, said the women’s moguls’ event would be one to watch in PyeongChang.

“It’s a really exciting time in women’s mogul skiing at the moment and I feel really honoured to be a part of that,” Cox said.

“At the moment, anyone within the top 10 is capable of putting down the best run on the night and that’s really exciting and that’s really motivating for me for when I’m up there and training in the next couple of days to push myself and let that competitive vibe come out of me in my training in through to the competition.”

Moguls qualification will be held on Day 0 (February 9), with Women's finals on Day 2 and Men's finals on Day 3 (February 10-11). See more of the freestyle skiing Team HERE.

Candice Keller
olympics.com.au

MOGUL SKIING: Three Olympians and three debutants will make a six-strong Australian mogul skiing contingent at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.

Dual Olympian and 2017 World Champion Britt Cox will headline the Team in the women’s event, looking to improve upon her fifth-place finish from Sochi 2014.

The Victorian skier was the youngest member of the Australian Team when she finished 23rd on debut at Vancouver 2010 at the age of 15.

Now, with two Olympic Games, a World Championships gold medal and a Crystal Globe as the top ranked freestyle skier of 2017 under her belt, the 23-year-old is “looking forward to new experiences in Korea this time around.”

“Representing your country at the Olympic Games is a very special feeling, so I’m really excited to be named on the Aussie team for PyeongChang 2018,” Cox said.

“Australia has such a rich Olympic history both in summer and winter sports, so to be part of that legacy is a huge honour. I’m really inspired by the culture that exists within this Aussie team, we all push, encourage and inspire one another and that fuels me within my own personal sporting goals.”

Sochi Olympians Brodie Summers and Matt Graham will return for their second Games at the Korean ski resort.
After rupturing his ACL in September 2017 and undergoing a relentless rehabilitation program, PyeongChang will be Summer’s return to competition.

“I am aware that my situation leading in to the Games hasn't been ideal but I am also extremely fortunate to have a body that bounces back well from injury,” Summers said.

Given the setbacks and challenges he has overcome, Summers is feeling “immensely proud” about today’s announcement and is motivated to improve on his 13th place Sochi finish.

“Being selected to any Olympic Team is always a huge deal but given what I have been through over the past four and a half months I think it has just made me appreciate it so much more.

“There were days during the rehab process where I felt like the world was against me and maybe I was reaching too far when trying to come back in time for the Games, but my team and I have found a way to overcome every obstacle we have encountered along the way.

A more confident and experienced Graham will head into his second Games as the third ranked male mogul skier, fresh off four World Cup medals from seven events this season.

“I was only 19 years old in Sochi, so I was young and naive and wasn't quite sure on what to expect,” 23-year-old Graham said.

“With the experience gained in Sochi I will definitely feel more comfortable in the start gate at PyeongChang and I will better be able to handle the pressures and hype of the Games.

Graham, who finished 7th on debut at Sochi 2014, believes this year’s Team is “our strongest to date”.

“Australia's success in mogul skiing really goes back to the grass roots. I believe we have the best pathway in the world from the club programs at our local ski resorts all the way through the sporting institutes and to the national team. We have the best coaches and the best network of support so everything combined really creates a recipe for success.

“I get to travel the world and compete with and against my best friends, where we all enjoy the friendly competitive rivalry. My teammates push me to my limits and I try to return the favour as best as I can.”

Joining the more experienced athletes as part of this close-knit team include debutants Jakara Anthony (19), Madii Himbury (24) and Claudia Gueli (20).

Young-gun Anthony had her break out season last year, where she qualified for two World Cup finals, placed 12th at her World Championships debut at Sierra Nevada, Spain and was selected to wear the green and gold at the Sapporo 2017 Asian Winter Games, where she placed sixth.

The skier from Barwon Heads, Victoria made her first 6-skier Super Final this season at the Deer Valley World Cup, where she placed fifth, and will head into her debut Olympic Games with a world ranking of 14.

“It’s really, really exciting, it’s a dream come true,” Anthony said of her selection in the 2018 Team.

“I decided I wanted to be an Olympian back when I was a little kid, when I started mogul skiing as a 10-year-old. I’ve been working towards this for quite a while now so it’s a really big goal to have achieved.”

The men’s and women’s mogul skiing qualification events will be held at Bokwang Snow Park on Day 0 (February 9) with the women’s finals on Day 2 and the men’s on Day 3 (February 11-12).

Dale Begg-Smith claimed Australia’s first mogul skiing Olympic medal when he won gold at Torino 2006. He returned four years later to win silver at Vancouver 2010. Find out more about Australia’s freestyle skiing Olympians HERE.

Find out more about Freestyle Skiing at the PyeongChang Games HERE and see the full selected Team HERE.
​
Georgia Thompson
olympics.com.au

Four months ago, Sochi Olympian Brodie Summers was hoping the routine training jump that ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament could be rehabbed with enough time to make his second Olympic appearance next month in PyeongChang.

The answer is in.

As the rest of the OWIA and NSWIS mogul skiing squad compete in the fourth World Cup in Calgary this weekend, Summers is winging his way to Winter Park in Colorado, USA to train with Australia’s Nor Am skiers from the Mogul Skiing Academy as his next preparatory step before a full return.  

“Our Nor Am skiers have kindly said that they’re happy for me to join them,” Summers said before left his Melbourne home today.

The relentless, positive way in which Summers has tackled and condensed a twelve-month rehab with his trainers and medical professionals is remarkable, but as he well knows, the ultimate test is yet to come.

In September  Summers said that it was "quite the mogul I have deal with" after surgery to his torn ACL and that he was motivated "to give it every bit I've got to get the job done".

Summers has done exactly what he set out to do and is now headed for a return to groomed snow and the mogul course - one bump at a time.

 “This is the time where I work myself back into a moguls course.," he says of the coming weeks in Colorado. "The first few days will be cruising around on groomed snow and then step by step back into moguls course until hopefully I can put all the pieces back together for the pre-Olympic training camp in Steamboat from January 21.”

“I’m excited, really pumped up to get back into the season. Things have revved up the last couple of weeks and I feel more like a elite athlete again.”

Has he missed team mates Matt Graham, Britt Cox and the NSWIS mogul skiers in the early part of the season?

Maybe, but as with the common, positive vibe that runs like water through the Australian mogul teams, he feels connected and now, ready.

“It will be fun to be back in the team. The good thing with social media is that I can feel part of it,” he says.

Feeling “more like an elite athlete again” is the only admission the 24-year-old will entertain about the physical and mental mountains he has climbed since the simple training jump went wrong on September 5 at Mt Buller.

Within a few days of rupturing his ACL, surgeons took a graft from his hamstring tendon to replace it.

The work began on intensive rehab, led by OWIA’s Ashley Merkur.  Summers was back in the gym a week later up to six times a week, a couple of times a day.  

By December, Summers was in Japan to tackle snow.

“Japan was first time back on snow, having the sensation of gliding again and feeling comfortable in the ski boots. After the first couple of runs doing that, we started doing some drills and fundamentals. Putting the knee under those kinds of loads.”  

Talk to any internationally successful mogul skier and you will hear about the importance of the basics. The rehab training stint in Japan reinforced those basics and tested the knee.
 
“Fundamentals for mogul skiers are essential,” Summers says. “We wanted to exercise as much control as possible with the edge of the ski and forward pressure – and good weight distribution and a nice body position.”

“I was after very consistent turn shape and control, and also symmetry to make sure it was even given what my right knee went through, that it could handle the loads.”

“It’s good to have the opportunity to do that.”

The next step before leaving for Colorado this weekend was a ten-day water jumping camp in rural Victoria, which has bolstered his confidence.

“The water ramping went really well actually,” he said. “I had my last session this morning and speaking to Ash (Merkur) on the way back about the difference between day 1 and today. It (the water ramping) gave me confidence in my body.”

Summers is now a dark horse for PyeongChang. His international record last season where he finished eighth in the world and collected two World Cup podiums puts him in the mix.

He has the experience and the mind-set that has been honed from a desire for the sport when he began competing in the Victorian inter-schools program.

“My friend was part of Team Buller Riders and convinced my parents to drive up every weekend during Term 3 back in 2006 and 2007.”

Summers showed such promise and love for his sport that in the following two years he went to school in Mt Buller.

“My parents bought an apartment up there and Mum came up. My dad and (older) siblings would come up on the weekend. I got very obsessed from the moment I did it and was quite late into the sport as a 13-year-old compared to others.”   

By 2010, Summers was part of the NSWIS mogul squad and came into the OWIA mogul skiing program in 2013 before the Sochi Olympics, where he finished 13th.

PyeongChang will be his return to competition. That's about as tight as it gets.

By Belinda Noonan
OWIA
 
 
 

Sochi Olympian Brodie Summers has sustained a knee injury during training but still refuses to “waste a day of training” as he strives towards a second Games experience at PyeongChang 2018.

The 23-year-old had a freak accident during training at Mt Buller on Friday morning, which has ruptured his ACL.

“Quite the mogul I have to deal with. Now it’s time to adjust the game plan, get my knee back to feeling strong and hit the gym harder than I ever have before,” Summers said.

“I’m feeling very fortunate to have a team that is so well set up to deal with these sort of things. The plan is to have a MRI on Monday morning and then head straight to Doc Braun. Then I will have a better idea about where to go from here and time frames,” Summers said.

On-site at Mt Buller was OWIA Head of Rehab Ashley Merkur.

“I had Ash with me at Mt Buller. She broke the news to me straight away that she thought it was a torn ACL and called Doc. They’ve set up a course of action. It’s not a great situation to be in but it’s great tp have the support around me.”
 
Five months out from PyeongChang, he admits “it’s tight”.

“I’m getting through it mentally. We will know more on Monday.”

“Whatever the situation I’m already motivated to give it every bit I’ve got to get the job done. Other people have done it,” he said.

The Melbourne local competed in the Australian Championships in Perisher last week, where he finished fourth behind the Canadian trio Mikael Kingsbury (currently ranked first in the world), Marc Antoine Gagnon and Gabriel Dufresne and was back at Mt Buller for training.

He had planned to defend his prestigious ABOM Moguls Challenge title, which he won for the second time in 2016 alongside his Australian teammate, the current female World Champion and five-time ABOM Champion Britt Cox.

“It’s the longest running FIS mogul event in the world I believe,” Summers said. “And it has a great heritage with former champions including Dale Begg-Smith and Alexandre Bilodeau.

Defending that title is now off the table, but his sights remain on PyeongChang.  

 “The Olympics is the pinnacle of our sport so getting another opportunity to represent Australia at this level is an absolute privilege.

“Every time I think about PyeongChang it just reminds me that I can’t afford to waste a day at training,” he said last week.

“Whether it’s on the hill, in the gym or even at home when I’m working on the mental aspects of my training, it’s always in my mind that the Games are fast approaching and I need to make every day at training count.”

They may be a little weary from the week-in week-out competing, travelling, training and resting on the FIS Mogul Skiing World Cup tour this season but the Australians are staying on top of their game in a spectacular season that has created history.
 
Britt Cox became the first Australian female to win a Mogul Skiing World Cup title last week in Japan and Matt Graham won a bronze medal, but now their focus is on the last two World Cups in Thaiwoo, China before the World Championships in Spain on March 8 and 9.
 
Juggling the athletes’ regime is the responsibility of coaches Steve ‘Des’ Desovich and Jerry Grossi.  
 
"With Britt, the focus remains on rest and recovery ahead of the event in China this week,” Coach Desovich explained.
 
“We have had a rigorous schedule leading to the normal travel fatigue so that is a primary challenge right now.
 
“Britt has done so well this season due to her attention to detail and being able to execute what she needs to do when she needs to do it. First in training then transferring to the event, " he said.
 
Training in China will be about learning the course, continuing with skill development and execution.

The Australian coaches have consistently maintained their focus on skill and execution – a plan that has also kept Matt Graham in podium contention throughout the season and boosted  results for  Brodie Summers.
 
Leading into China, Graham is in third position in the overall World Cup standings – and trails second position by 47 points. Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury – like Britt Cox – has already secured the overall Crystal Globe as number one.
 
"Matt has had some real highlights this season which we are quite happy with,” Desovich said.
 
“The near misses that have transpired are just a reminder of which skills need further enhancement and really getting all the ingredients correct in the three sectors of our sport which are jumps, turns and speed.”
 
“He has some exciting opportunities left in the season and we look forward to the next day of training in China which is the next step required to execute at the highest level more consistently."  
 
Brodie Summers has had a much improved 2016/17 season delivering three top ten World Cup results including a bronze in Dual Moguls at Deer Valley.
 
"Brodie has done a nice job this season on many levels. Jerry and I are quite pleased with his work right from April onwards where he has been able to experience some nice growth across the board,” Coach Desovich said.
 
“As per usual, the focus will remain on skiing and jumping better while also preparing for the specifics of the course simultaneously. Brodie needs to continue to put himself in a position to succeed by completing his training runs along with lifting the quality of his skills while doing so."  

The Thaiwoo, China Moguls World Cup is on Saturday 25 February from 12 noon with live coverage of the finals on Eurosport Australia from 4.30pm.

 

Britt Cox has created history, becoming the first Australian female to win a Mogul Skiing World Cup title, in today’s Dual Mogul event in Tazawako, Japan.
 
After victory in yesterday single moguls event at the same resort, the 22-year-old NSWIS skier went down in the round of 16 to Russian Marika Pertakhiya by the smallest of margins, 18 to 17, and finished in ninth place.
 
Fortunately for Cox her closest rivals, Perrine Laffont of France and Justine Dufour-Lapointe of Canada were also unable to progress to the later rounds of the event. Cox now leads Laffont by 259 points and wraps up the series win, with only two events and a maximum of 200 points remaining in China next weekend.
 
Cox’s outstanding season comes on the back of six World Cup victories, which equals the legendary Dale Begg-Smith, who won six World Cup events in his Olympic Gold Medal winning year in 2005-2006.
 
Once the news came in that the title had been secured, Cox reflected on her journey in the sport.
 
“Mogul skiing has been my passion ever since I was a little kid. I live and breathe moguls, so to find out this afternoon that I have won the crystal globe for mogul skiing feels incredible."
 
“The job certainly is not done yet, we still have two more world cups in China before the World Championships in Spain."

"I skied well in the duals today but my opponent in the round of 16 skied better. It was a close one but I think I got a bit wild in the middle section which meant the dual went her way."
 
"I am so grateful for the motivated and hard working support team I have around me. The  Australian system of OWIA, AOC, AIS, NSWIS and Ski and Snowboard Australia provide our team with the best possible support to allow us to simply do our job as best we can week to week."
 
Olympic Winter Institute of Australia Mogul Skiing Head Coach Steve Desovich was thrilled with Cox's season after the event.
 
"Today Britt formally clinched the World Cup Title, which we are ecstatic with."
 
"This is a very monumental achievement and so well deserved. Ultimately only the very best are able to stay consistent throughout a whole season and emerge victorious."
 
“Having said this, we have two events remaining in China next week and the World Championships in March, which is where the focus will be at this stage.”

Cox’s World Cup title was not the only highlight for the OWIA/NSWIS Mogul Skiing Program in Japan, with Matt Graham putting together another impressive performance to take bronze.
 
Graham advanced though the first few rounds before a semi-final showdown with world number two, Benjamin Cavet of France. In a very competitive dual, Graham was unfortunately unable to progress to the big-final, going down 19 to 16.
 
Graham bounced back in the small-final, this time being on the right side of the 19-16 decision to take bronze against Kazakhstan’s Dmitriy Reiherd.
 
Graham was thrilled to come away with his third World Cup medal of the season.
 
“Today was pretty awesome. I am really happy to come away with my third consecutive podium here in Tazawako.”
 
“Today was pretty awesome. I am really happy to come away with my third consecutive podium here in Tazawako.”
 
“The duals were extremely fast today and I had some really good runs and some runs which I was just able to scrape through the round, but, I guess that is duals. It’s one against one and you just need to do what you have to do to win.”
 
“Unfortunately I made a big mistake against Benjamin Cavet in the semi-final as I was pushing my limit with how fast I could ski, but to bounce back and put a really good small-final run down was very satisfying.”
 
Other Australians in action included NSWIS skiers Rohan Chapman-Davies 9th, Jakara Anthony 16th, Madi Himbury 24th, Brodie Summers 27th, Krystle Yin 28th, Claudia Gueli 32nd and James Matheson 39th.

Britt Cox has sustained her excellent World Cup season by winning her sixth Mogul Skiing World Cup gold medal at Tazawako, Japan.
 
Today’s win makes it six golds from eight World Cups, plus one bronze and only once missing the podium this season (in Val St. Come, Canada).
 
With just one World Cup remaining this season in China next week ahead of the World Championships in Spain on March 8, Britt’s dominance in ladies’ moguls is unassailable for the World Cup title and also a realistic chance to take out the Freestyle Skiing overall World Cup, which is determined across all Freestyle disciplines. 
 
Cox did not have today’s event all her own way – qualifying second and then again in the first final to Perrine Laffont from France.
 
However, by the medal round Cox was back on top scoring 78.57 to Laffont’s 78.36.
 
"Wow what a day and what a feeling to be on the top of the podium in Japan,” Cox said.
 
“This is my first time in Japan and I am amazed at how much the Japanese people love mogul skiing. It was so exciting having all the Japanese school kids cheering for us on the side of the course."

"I really wanted to pick up the intensity for the finals today, so I was really happy when I took a good chunk off my time in the finals. I think that's what got me to the top spot today."
 
Coach Steve ‘Des’ Desovich couldn’t be happier.  
 
"We are thrilled with Britt’s performance today as she was able to improve on each of her three runs throughout the day,” he said.
 
“Britt skied fast, jumped well and had very good turns to conclude a nice rounded performance between all three sectors. The conditions were tricky and it was a challenge due to changing weather and snow conditions but Britt adapted very well and advanced nicely throughout the day with no major errors."
 
The week-in week-out schedule for the mogul skiers could take its toll but the coach praised the fitness of Cox and the Australian squad for their continued success.
 
"It has been a long season thus far and we still have duals tomorrow and China next week - so really it just has to keep going whether you want a breather or not,” Desovich said.
 
“Britt’s improved strength and conditioning is really paying off at this time of the year and it’s nice to see her continue so strong"

Cox was joined in the first final by fellow Australians Jakara Anthony – who is headed to the Asian Winter Games next week, and Madii Himbury finishing 9th and 16th respectively.
 
"It's always fun when I have my Aussie girls in the finals with me, I'm stoked for Madii and Jakara today,” Cox said.

Matt Graham continued his strong form, finishing 5th. Graham is also enjoying a successful season, having been in the top six in the eight World Cups so far, collecting one gold and one silver along the way. Brodie Summers was the next placed Australian male making the first final and finishing 10th.
 
Other Australian results included Claudia Gueli 24th, Krystle Yin 28th, Rohan Chapman Davies 39th and James Matheson 41st.
 
The Dual Moguls will be competed tomorrow (Sunday) from 2.05pm. 

IMAGE: Britt Cox (middle) on top of the mogul skiing world for the sixth time this season in Tazawako, Japan. © IDone

The second-to-last stop on the 2016/17 FIS Freestyle moguls World Cup tour is on this weekend in Tazawako, Japan, with a full weekend of competition on Saturday, February 18, and dual moguls on Sunday.

Dominating the Ladies World Cup is Britt Cox who, though not totally in the clear with 605 points to second-overall Justine Dufour-Lapointe’s (CAN) 434, is in a strong position to take the first-ever moguls title for the Australian ladies’ squad. 

Cox comes into Tazawako fresh off wins at the Olympic test event last weekend in Phoenix Park, Korea.
Training mate Nicole Parks is unfortunately out due to injury but NSWIS skiers Jakara Anthony, Claudia Gueili, Maddi Himbury and Kyrstle Yin.   

Matt Graham and Brodie Summers are back in action with 22-year-old Graham seeking another podium after last week’s sixth place.

““I would have liked to have been a few spots higher, so next week I’ll just fix a few things up and put down some cleaner runs and hopefully the results will come through,” Graham said after the Olympic test event last weekend.

With less than a month left in the World Cup season, it’s time to look at the Freestyle Skiing overall World Cup standings, where each athlete’s points totals are divided by the number of competitions entered in the season to give an average score against which all other athletes can be compared fairly.

Looking at the 2016/17 overall rankings, it’s the moguls skiers leading the table at this stage.

With 605 points in seven events thus far, Cox’s overall score of 86.43 puts her well clear of second place ski cross athlete Marielle Thompson (CAN), giving Cox a strong chance of the biggest trophy in Freestyle. 

Should she hold on to take the overall globe, which last season was won by halfpipe and slopestyle skier Devin Logan of the USA),  it will be a truly remarkable accomplishment for the 22-year-old skier whose previous best rankings at season-end were 14th in moguls in 2013/14, and 57th on the overall list in 2014/15. 

Single moguls competition in Tazawako gets underway on Saturday with ladies qualifications beginning at 11.45am, followed by the men’s. Finals get underway at 3.30pm. Sunday’s dual moguls competition will see preliminary heats beginning just after 2pm  and the final heats squaring off at 3.30pm.

Britt Cox has won her fourth World Cup gold medal in Mogul Skiing in the Dual Mogul event in Deer Valley, Utah, USA.

Following her bronze in the single mogul format two days earlier, Cox maintained her strong form to win gold again and make it five podium finishes from the six World Cups this season.

Cox retained her yellow bib as the current world number one and remains focused on each event taking just one step at a time.

“I didn’t think it was going to pan out this way this season, I’ve just been focused on every event that’s coming, but it’s awesome to win again,” Cox said.

“The course was a lot more challenging tonight than it has been all week, but my family got to see me win for the first time which is really special.”

It was also a landmark personal best night for team mate Brodie Summers, who reached the World Cup podium for the first time by claiming the bronze.

Brodie Summers was impressive as he took flight on the way to a debut podium spot.

​Speaking after his win in the Small Final, the 23-year-old shared his excitement.

“I’m so stoked right now, I was just having so much fun tonight and now I’m really on top of the world,” Summers beamed.

Summers raced against NSWIS teammate Matt Graham in the quarter final round on his way to the podium, with Graham finishing 11th overall.

“It was just great to ski with my boy (Graham) again, he had the tough line in that dual and I didn’t really know what was going on but he put up a really good fight,” Summers said.

Nicole Parks was the best placed of the remaining Australian female skiers finishing with a dual mogul PB in 8th followed by Krystle Yin (12th), Jakara Anthony (19th), Claudia Gueli (26th) and Madii Himbury (29th).

In the mens, James Matheson was 20th with Cooper Woods-Topalovic (24th) and Rohan Chapman-Davies (39th).

The next World Cup event for the mogul athletes is the Olympic test event in PyeongChang, Korea on February 10.

Mogul skier Britt Cox has fulfilled her goal by retaining the coveted ‘yellow bib’ after winning her second World Cup in Mogul Skiing in Lake Placid, USA this morning, making it back-to-back golds having won in Ruka, Finland in December. 
 
The 22-year-old upped the ante in execution, finding perfect form at exactly the right time winning the qualifying round with a massive 77.00 points, repeated the same form in the first final making it into the top six and then nailed the steep course yet again to stand atop the podium on Whiteface Mountain.
 
Despite her young age, the  Lake Placid win marks her 35th World Cup appearance.  Now firmly ranked as the World number one, Britt again scored the yellow bib – a feat no other Australian woman has achieved in Moguls and only Dale Begg-Smith has in the Men.
 
“I’m so excited to have back-to-back wins. After my win Ruka, this was the goal I set myself and I’m really happy to have executed today,” Britt said from Lake Placid.
 
“The course and conditions changed significantly throughout the rounds today, so I needed to be adaptive and just take it run by run.”
 
Preparation and detail are the keys to success according to head coach Steve ‘Des’ Desovich.

“Britt's early season success has been a very pleasant surprise and we are quite happy that all of her work has come to fruition,” Desovich said.

“As per usual Britt jumped quite well today so that was great. A lot of people have made contributions and we would like to acknowledge Marissa Downes from the OWIA/VIS Strength and Conditioning department who has worked very closely with Britt to improve her physical prep.”

“It’s a very exciting and dynamic period of growth that we hope to continue with.”

The OWIA mogul ski coaches plan to keep working on skills.

“From here the goal is just to keep working on skills and incorporating those skills into consistent performance.” 

“Dr Tom Hammond, our OWIA performance coach, has helped Britt a great deal so we would like to thank him as well.” 

Brodie Summers chalked up his first appearance in a World Cup first Final since 2014, scoring a PB of 73.10 after qualifying 7th ahead of his team mate and World number two, Matt Graham who qualified in 10th position but did not finish in the first Final.
 
“We are thrilled with this step up in Brodie’s performance but want to remain diligent moving forward,” said Coach Desovich.
 
“The coaching staff have been very impressed with Brodie’s work at our recent Winter Park camp in which he appeared to click on many levels. Brodie jumped extremely well today and we look forward to his continued growth in each sector of his skills and then into the whole runs completion percentage.”
 
Matt Graham did not have his best day on a changing course but is in great shape going forward.

“Matt had a challenging day on a difficult course but regardless of this particular performance the objectives remain the same in terms of skills and competition,” Desovich said.

“The coaching staff have full confidence in Matt and appreciate his overall great work. We will treat each event as a separate entity moving forward and look forward to the next stop in Val St Come.”

Final result for the Lake Placid Ladies Mogul Skiing World Cup: 1st Britteny Cox AUS (75.27) 2nd Perrine Laffont FRA (74.20) 3rd Morgan Schild USA (72.51).

Nicole Parks made her return to competition with a 24th place in the qualification round, scoring 61.73 points. NSWIS development athletes Claudia Gueli placed 27th, Krsytle Yin 28th, Madi Himbury 31st and Pip Sparrow 32nd.

Other men’s results for Australia include NSWIS skiers James Matheson 35th (61.69) and Rohan Chapman-Davies 36th (61.61).
 
The Australian Mogul Skiing team are looking forward to cheering on the Flying Kangaroos Aerial Ski team before heading to Val St. Come, Canada for the third World Cup on January 28.  
 
 

Courage, loads of ability and a calm mind is required for a skier standing alone in the moguls start gate because the only way is down – at extreme speed, in an extreme environment with knee-punishing risky bumps over a 250 metre-long course at an angle of between 26 and 30 degrees.  

The expanded Australian moguls team, led by Britt Cox and Matt Graham, is back in action for the second World Cup on Whiteface mountain in Lake Placid, USA early on Saturday morning (AEDT).   

Britt Cox claimed a breakthrough victory at the season-opening World Cup in Ruka, Finland in December, winning her first gold medal.

Britt found her rhythm in Finland after having to fight through the qualification round.

“I realised after the first final (in Finland) to stay calm, use breathing and focus on the process and not the outcome because there is still a job to be done,” Britt said after her win.

She will be hoping to emulate that form in Lake Placid, having had two weeks at home for her first Australian Christmas in nine years before returning to the snow and her team mates and coaches in Colorado for a pre-comp camp.

"The training camp in Winter Park was really productive.

The moguls team heading to Lake Placid has expanded with OWIA athlete Nicole Parks now on deck plus a contingent of NSWIS skiers.

"We had some excellent training conditions and ended up with nine quality days on snow. It was great  to train alongside more Aussies and I'm looking forward to having more girls join me on the circuit for these upcoming events," Britt explained.

"I'm excited to get back in the start gate this weekend in Lake Placid for the first World Cup of 2017."

Also home for a short summer burst on the NSW Central Coast was 22-year-old Matt Graham, who has heads turning following his impressive growth in consistency that saw him ranked second only to Canadian Mikael Kingsbury.

Graham opened his new season in Finland with another silver behind the Canadian, cementing his ranking as a podium athlete before heading home for Christmas.

“It was nice to spend some time with my family and friends before getting back into an intense training block over the past two weeks,” Matt said.
 
“I was able to capitalize on my time at home and have a strong strength and conditioning focus by getting into gym to train with John Marsden.”
 
“I think overall it was very beneficial to give the mind and body a break and also get some good strength and fitness gains. This will make a big difference come World Championships in March.”

Perth born and bred Brodie Summers, is looking for more this season, after placing 36th in Finland following a strong preparation.
 
“I wasn’t pleased with last year’s season at all. My major goals for this season are to compete how I practice and put down a good base,” Brodie said.
 
“The second half of this off-season went well and I want to build on top of that and execute to the best of my ability.”
 
Summers paid tribute to coaches Steve (Des) Desovich and Jerry Grossi.
 
“Des and Jerry have an unbelievable technical knowledge. They see and pick up on minute details, provide good tactical advice and we benefit from that. They are the difference between a good run and an amazing run.”
 
Nicole Parks spent last season rehabilitating a knee injury and is now ready to compete.

Lake Placid marks Nicole's first World Cup for the 2016/17 season. The OWIA athletes have been joined by NSWIS mogul skiers Rohan Chapman Davies (who finished 14th in Ruka, Finland), James Mathieson, Jakara Anthony, Madii Himbury and Claudia Gueli. Also competing in Lake Placid are Krystle Yin (NSW) and Pip Sparrow (VIC)

The World Cup for Moguls in Lake Placid will be held January 13 and 14.

Forget about the warm weather and summer for the Aussies looking to qualify for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics. It’s all snow and ice in a power-packed few days as World Cups and Grand Prix Final events dominate the icy European sports calendar this weekend.

Kicking off on Thursday night in France are Ski Cross athletes Sami-Kennedy-Sim and Anton Grimus at Val Thorrens who are looking to qualify in the season’s first World Cup in a re-vamped competition schedule that has six World Cups in 15 days.

Still in France are Australia’s new wonder pair skating team, Harley Windsor and Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya, who will compete in the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final in Marseille early tomorrow morning (2.25AM AEDT).

The 20-year-old indigenous skater from Sydney’s western suburbs and his Russian-born 16-year-old partner shocked the figure skating world with their surprise gold medal at the Junior Grand Prix in Tallinn, Estonia, qualifying 7th best in the world and scoring a berth in the prestigious final six world when a Russian team withdrew due to injury.

Australia’s Short Track team are in action in Shanghai, the third World Cup this season.

Deanna Lockett came away with a top ten ranking in the 1500m in Salt Lake City in November and says she is, “working to match my strength with my racing skills. I feel like I'm taking small steps forward but I need to focus on my racing in the lead up to the next event."

In the Men’s Short Track – the tight-knit group of Pierre Boda, Andy Jung and Alex Bryant are looking to capitalise on their past top 20 performances.

The ice has more to offer with newly-crowned National Figure Skating Champions Brendan Kerry and Kailani Craine competing in the final ISU Challenger event in Zagreb, Croatia.

Craine is topping up her competitions this season having already bagged a silver medal in Warsaw and bronze in Latvia last month. She faces stiff competition with the return of 2014 Sochi bronze medallist and 2012 World Champion Carolina Kostner and 2016 US Champion Gracie Gold.

Kerry, who landed a magnificent quad salchow jump in last week’s nationals has been on the invite-only Grand Prix circuit but needs competition ranking points ahead of the World Championships next March.

The technically gifted skater knows he needs his quad jumps but there’s always two sides to a figure
skater.

“I’ve worked a lot on the component side of my skating, as well as my spins and steps. It’s headed in
the right direction,” Kerry said after the National Championships last week.

Long track speed skater Daniel Greig is fresh from a silver medal in the 500m B Division in Astana,
Kazakhstan last weekend, lifting his ranking and qualifying for the A Division. Greig headed straight
back to his Netherlands base to prepare for the A Division showdown with the world’s best in
Heerenveen early Saturday morning (3.15Am AEDT).

The always entertaining Moguls World Cups are a physical and technical contest like no other. The
OWIA Moguls team have been ensconced in Ruka, Finland, ahead of their assault on their first World
Cup just after midnight Sunday (AEDT).

First to hit the bumps in the qualifying rounds is Britt Cox, Australia's first female World Cup
medallist in mogul skiing.

World moguls men’s number two Matt Graham, who had a breakthrough with his first career victory
last season, and teammate Brodie Summers make it to the starting blocks around 2AM on Sunday
morning. All three skiers will be looking to make it to the final 16 and top 6 from 6.30am on Sunday
morning.

Australia’s biathlon hopefuls will be on course in Ridnaun, Italy, for the IBU Cup 2 with Youth
Olympic Games athlete Darcie Morton and brother Damon combining for the single mixed relay on
Thursday evening. The duo will then back up for the sprint event on Friday with Daniel Walker
joining them.

In a positive sign for the growth of biathlon in Australia, seven up-and-coming youngsters will take to
the snow in Lenzerheide, Switzerland for the Junior IBU Cup 1.

OWIA/NSWIS athlete Matt Graham remains ranked the number two athlete in the world following the Deer Valley world cup.

Competing in dual moguls, the second World Cup event in Deer Valley, Graham was unable to progress past the round of 16, finishing in ninth place.

With a number of other leading male athletes also upset in the early rounds of the event, Graham remains in second place on the World Cup standings with three events remaining in the season.

Britt Cox also made it through to the round of 16, finishing in 11th place. Cox finishes the season in 12th place on the World Cup standings.

Australian athletes Brodie Summers, Rohan Chapman-Davies, James Matheson, Nicole Parks and Madi Himbury were all eliminated in their first round of duals.

IMAGE: Britt Cox after the dual mogul event in Deer Valley © Andrew Pattison

Olympic Winter Institute of Australia (OWIA)/New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) athlete Matt Graham has won his first ever World Cup event, after securing the gold medal in the moguls World Cup event in Deer Valley, Utah, USA.

Graham has described the victory as the highlight of his career to date.

“I am super ecstatic, this is without a doubt the biggest and best result of my career to date,” Graham said.

Graham went into the Super Final, consisting of the top six skiers, in second place, and put down a near perfect run.

It was then a nervous wait for Graham, as he watched the great Canadian Mikael Kingsbury come down last. But, when he realised he’d beaten the Olympic champion’s score, the celebrations began.

“This is definitely the biggest event of the year, and technically it’s a tough course,” Graham said.

“It is just great knowing that I am getting appreciated by the judges, and I know now that when I perform at my best, I can be right in contention,” he added.

OWIA teammate Brodie Summers missed out on a spot in the Finals, after finishing 20th in qualifying.

Britt Cox’s consistent season continued after finishing in the top ten and qualifying for the Finals.

Cox finished eighth with a score of 75.39, to just miss out on a place in the Super Final.

Nicole Parks made a return to World Cup competition following knee surgery just over 12 months ago, finishing in 26th place.

A number of NSWIS athletes also competed after being granted development World Cup starts.

James Matheson placed 44th and Rohan Chapman Davies finished in 46th position in the men's event.

In the women's event, Jakara Anthony finished in 31st place, with Madi Himbury unfortunately crashing on the bottom jump and was unable to finish her run. Claudia Gueli was unable to compete due to a hip injury sustained in official training.

IMAGE: Matt Graham celebrates on the podium after winning his first ever World Cup © Andrew Pattison

OWIA/NSWIS mogul skier Matt Graham has reached his second consecutive Super Final, this time at the World Cup event in Calgary, Canada..

After qualifying 12th for the finals, Graham, who finished second at last week’s World Cup event in Val Saint-Come, put in a good run in the first finals run placing fourth with a score of 76.80, therefore qualifying for the top six Super Final.

Graham finished with a total score of 48.93 in the final, a score which saw him finish fifth overall.

“I had quite a good final #1 run which I was happy with, but a little disappointed with my super final run,” he said.

“I felt like I had the ability to back up last week and finish on the podium today, so moving forward this will be a goal for me to back up results and consistent performances week after week,” Graham added.

NSWIS athlete Rohan Chapman-Davies finished 18th with a personal best performance, while Brodie Summers placed 41st.

In the women’s section, Britt Cox finished fourth in qualifying, securing a place in the 16 field finals, with a total score of 70.52.

Cox scored a 69.42 in her first run in the finals, which saw her eventually finish in 13th place overall.

At the completion of the event, Cox reflected on the positives.

"My qualifications run felt like the skiing I know I am capable of doing. Unfortunately, I did not repeat this in the final, and was unable to progress to the next round," Cox said.

"I am choosing to look at my fourth in qualifying as a positive stepping stone, and it's now a matter of bringing it together in the final rounds," she added.
​
World Cup Standings (after Calgary):

Men:                                                                            
4th - Matt Graham                                                   
27th - Brodie Summers                     
​33rd - Rohan Chapman-Davies

Women:
11th - Britt Cox

IMAGE: Matt Graham receiving feedback from OWIA Mogul Skiing Head Coach Matt Graham in Calgary © Peter Hogg

The OWIA Mogul Skiing program is entering final stages of a 3-week training block in Winter Park, Colorado, USA.
 
Warm weather on the east coast of North America forced the cancellation of the Lake Placid World Cup on January 14-15.
 
The first event for the program in 2016 will be in Val St Come, Canada, on January 23.
 
OWIA Mogul Skiing Head Coach Steve Desovich found the training camp very productive.
 
"The camp has offered great conditions enabling further skill development for each athlete according to their individual needs.”
 
“We look forward to competing in the North American World Cups in Val St Come, Calgary and Deer Valley later this month and in early February.”

The opening round of the 2015/16 Moguls World Cup took place in Ruka over the weekend, with a dual event to kick start the season.
 
After weeks of training in the Finnish resort, the athletes were pleased to get into some competition.
 
OWIA/NSWIS athlete, Matt Graham, was the best of the Australians finishing eighth.
 
Pleasingly Brodie Summers, back in World Cup action after missing all of last season, produced a solid performance to finish 15th.
 
In the women’s competition, Britt Cox also finished in 15th place.
 
Graham had an interrupted off-season, having injured his arm in a freak out-of-training accident.
 
So he was pleased to kick-start his season with a strong showing.
 
“I’m pretty happy with how today went overall,” Graham said.
 
“I’m happy how my armed has healed and that it is not affecting my skiing, and this gave me a lot of confidence going into this event.
 
“Due to my arm injury I haven't had the best preparation for the season, but I’m confident moving forward that I have come out of this fitter, stronger and better than before.
 
“For me, this event was really a confidence booster after I got injured and I am looking forward to getting back to work over the Christmas and New Year break.
 
“My focus is to increase my consistency and high-end performance level going into the rest of the season. If I do this, the results will show.”
 
The next round of the mogul’s World Cup will take place across January 13 and 14 in Lake Placid, USA.

IMAGE: Brodie Summers (left) and Matt Graham (right) in Ruka © Matt Graham Instagram