NSWIS skier Matt Graham has claimed Australia’s first medal at the 2025 FIS Freestyle and Snowboard World Championships, winning bronze in a courageous performance in the iconic Swiss resort St Moritz, where three of the top four men suffered heavy crashes in a wild semi-final round of championship mogul skiing.
 
Graham now has five World Championship medals in his remarkable career, the most of any Australian winter sports athlete, surpassing snowboarder Scotty James, who will be aiming to join Graham on five podiums next week in St Moritz.
 
The opening event at the World Championships was the single moguls, where Graham showed he was in strong form advancing through to the top-eight super final. Graham was in contention for a medal, but a mistake just before the finish line saw the 2018 Olympic medallist finish in fifth place. Joining Graham in finals was NSWIS teammate Cooper Woods in ninth, missing the super-final by one place, George Murphy 22nd and Jackson Harvey was 28th.
 
In her World Championship debut, Charlotte Wilson qualified for the eight-woman medal round super final and finished seventh in her World Championship debut. Also on debut and just missing the final cut for top 20 was Emma Bosco.
 
In the dual moguls competition, Graham advanced through the early rounds with a 19-16 victory over Sweden's Robin Olgaard in the round of 16, followed by a 23-12 win against Mateo Jeannesson of Great Britain in the quarter-finals.
 
In the first semi-final, Graham went head-to-head with legendary Canadian skier Mikael Kingsbury in a thrilling duel. Both athletes pushed themselves to the absolute limit, but just before the bottom jump, Graham lost a ski at high speed, causing him to cartwheel down the course. After this setback, Kingsbury advanced to the big final and Graham to the small final and the opportunity for the bronze medal.
 
The second semi-final saw Japan's Ikuma Hiroshima and Sweden's Filip Gravenfors both crash heavily across the finish line, Hiroshima was the skier to advance to the gold medal match up but was injured and unable to compete further.
 
In the small final, Graham's opponent Gravenfors pushed out of the start gate but could not continue due his semi-final crash, Graham completed the course in a solo run to claim the bronze medal, while Hiroshima's withdrawal from the final race off duel gave Kingsbury the gold medal.
 
“It was probably one of the hardest earned podiums of my career” said the 30-year-old Graham from the NSW Central Coast.
 
“After a big crash last week in Livigno and not knowing if I would be able to compete, to keep skiing the way I did today and get down the run, then having a big crash in the semi-final against Mikael rattled everything a little bit. Fortunately, I was able to ski to the bronze medal.”
 
“It’s a good way to cap off the season, it’s been long, lots of ups and downs, my third dual podium for the year is unreal, and also another “Dad Podium”, this time at the World Championships is pretty special with Ikuma and Mikael. I hope both Ikuma and Filip are ok from their crashes.”
 
“The course was challenging, it was icy at the start of the day, and consequently the top air landing and first five turns got trashed. On paper the course wasn’t that tricky but there were a few little technical elements to it.”
 
“Heading into the small-final I didn’t know what state Filip was in. He is a crazy duals skier, I was in a lot of pain myself and just wanted to get down the run and be in one piece, so I was just willing to ski my run and whatever happened, happened. I didn’t realise he was inured or sore, it wasn’t until I landed the top jump, and I couldn’t hear him or sense him that I knew I was in the clear, but I didn’t realise he pushed out and slipped his way down the course.”
 
“Our team is really close, they are my second family, also having my mum and dad here was special, it was a little bittersweet given the circumstances, and I was in shock to be honest when I crossed the line, so I broke down a little and got a bit emotional.”
 
Also competing for Australia in the final event of the moguls skiing competition season were Cooper Woods in eighth place, Charlotte Wilson 15th, Emma Bosco 17th, Jackson Harvey 18th and George Murphy 23rd.

Reining mogul skiing Olympic and World Cup champion Jakara Anthony is on her way home following an injury during training in Sweden.
 
After a record breaking 2023-2024 season where Anthony had the most successful season ever by a mogul skier, Anthony continued her form into the new season with back-to-back medals, setting a new Australian record for most career World Cup podiums, and her 23rd victory in the single moguls the day before the injury.
 
QUOTES
 
Julia Brukner – Jakara Anthony’s Manager
 
“Jakara sustained an injury during World Cup training in Idre Fjall that will rule her out of the upcoming event in Georgia. She has had surgery on her collarbone in Oslo and will travel to Australia to commence her rehab.”
 
Geoff Lipshut – OWIA CEO
 
“Jakara had a great start to the winter. This training accident is unfortunate, but Jakara is very positive, looks forward to coming home and then working on her rehabilitation plan in Australia.”
 
Anthony will consult with medical and training staff in the next week, before deciding on next steps and recovery plan.
 
LINK – Jakara Anthony’s Instagram Post

Jakara Anthony has claimed her first victory of the 2024-2025 season in the moguls event in the Swedish resort of Idre Fjäll, the 23rd World Cup victory of her incredible career.

The reigning NSWIS World Cup Champion improved as the event went on, qualifying for finals in second with a score of 77.39, and then won the first round of finals on 80.36, ensuring Anthony would be the final skier for the event in the super-final medal round.

Anthony then found another gear for the super-final, posting her highest score of the season from the judges with 82.94 points, to finish 2.05 points ahead of rival Perrine Laffont of France on 80.89 with Canadian Maya Schwinghammer in third with 80.71.

Joining Anthony in the women’s final was 19-year-old Charlotte Wilson, who had an impressive qualifying run in just her second World Cup start, advancing to the final in sixth place with a score of 72.84 points, giving Wilson the record for the least amount of starts to qualify for a World Cup final by an Australian female mogul skier.

Wilson finished in tenth place in the final with a score of 69.75 points, the first World Cup top-10 of her career.

“It feels good to finish up in first place” said the 26-year-old Anthony from Barwon Heads in Victoria.

“I don’t think there was any more pressure than any other competition, I know what I am trying to achieve every time, I am competing against the other girls but kind of just competing against myself in a way.”

After two events, Anthony and Laffont are both ranked number one on the standings sharing the yellow leaders bib with 180 points.

In the men’s event, Matt Graham qualified for finals in fifth place and finished 11th in the final missing out on the top-six super final.

Also in action for Australia were Oliver Logan and Cooper Woods, with the 21-year-old Logan recording a personal best World Cup performance in 26th place, with Woods in 30th.

The men’s event was won by Canadian Mikael Kingsbury, with Ikuma Horishima of Japan in second and local Swedish skier Walter Wallberg finishing third.

A dual mogul event was also scheduled to take place in Idre Fjäll the following day, but was cancelled due to bad visibility.

The World Cup tour was originally scheduled to compete next weekend in Alpe d'Huez, France, but was cancelled due to low snow, so the next competition will take place in Bakuriani, Georgia, on December 20-21.

Australian mogul skier Jakara Anthony has started the 2024-2025 FIS World Cup season with a silver medal performance overnight in Ruka, Finland.
 
The podium result is the 42nd medal of her incredible career, and now holds the record for the most ever World Cup podiums by an Australian winter sports athlete, eclipsing the previous record of 41 held by aerial skier Kirstie Marshall.
 
In the super-final medal round, Anthony put down a strong run scoring 80 points from the judges but was narrowly outscored by French skier Perrine Laffont on 81.13, with American Olivia Giaccio rounding out the podium in third place with 76.95 points.
 
“Pretty happy with what we have been able to achieve walking away with a second place at the start of a super long season, it’s a great way to kick it off” said the 26-year-old from Barwon Heads in Victoria.
 
“Breaking the record for the most World Cup medals is an impressive stat, I never find out about these things until I have broken it, that’s a cool one and another accolade, super proud of me and my team and how we have been able to go about completing that, it’s been a big journey, there is still a long way to go and we will be looking to rack up a few more this season.
 
“Over the week that the course has been up here in Ruka we have kind of had every condition that’s possible from pretty big soft bumps to little icy ones, so have had to use all sorts of skills out there, but pretty lucky we have been able to work it out.
 
“It’s great to have so many chicks up that top end of the sport, that’s what makes it exciting, we are all going out there each day fighting for that top spot, which means we are all pushing each other and we have seen the sport progress a lot over the past four years.”
 
In the men’s event, Matt Graham and Cooper Woods qualified for finals in third and ninth place respectively, but in the final missed out on advancing to the top-six super final in 10th and 13th place.
 
Canadian Mikael Kingsbury finished in first place, with Walter Wallberg of Sweden in second, with third place going to Ikuma Horishima of Japan.
 
Also in action for Australia was Charlotte Wilson who finished in 20th place in her World Cup debut and in the men’s event Oliver Logan finished in 44th with George Murphy recording a did not finish.
 
Next weekend the World Cup mogul skiing tour moves to Sweden for a single and dual mogul event on December 6 and 7.

The 2024 New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) Awards not only showcased the inspiring performances by some of Australian sport’s greatest names, but it provided the 400-strong audience with an insight into the character – the grit ‘n grace – that drove the winners to glory on the world’s major sporting stages.

NSWIS CEO Kevin Thompson’s pre-event admission that the judges had a tough job deciding upon the winners of each of the seven categories due to the quality of the finalists was confirmed when the prestigious Ian Thorpe AM Outstanding Achievement Award was shared by the indomitable Lauren Parker (photographed above) and the unstoppable Jakara Anthony.

The gala dinner at The Star Sydney, which was hosted with a tremendous warmth and energy by Olympian and Channel Seven’s Sunrise host Matt Shirvington, presented dignitaries, including Premier Chris Minns, Australian Olympic Chief Executive Matt Carroll, Paralympics Australia CEO Kate McLoughlin, and NSWIS Chair Gary Flowers, with the opportunity to acknowledge in their speeches the Institute’s contribution to the joy of sport – and an outstanding Olympic and Paralympic year.

The 2024 NSWIS Media Awards was a night with plenty to celebrate, but by its end there was no dispute the stars of the night – who did a mighty job of detailing their stories of grit, grace and glory – were the athletes and other award winners.

2024 NSWIS AWARD WINNERS

VALOUR MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Timothy Hodge (swimming)

NSW OFFICE OF SPORT FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Jessica Fox (canoe slalom)

IAN THORPE AM OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARAD PRESENTED BY POWERADE
Lauren Parker (Para triathlon and Para cycling)

Jakara Anthony (winter sport)

Award presented by Gemma Versteeg, Senior Brand Manager, Coca-Cola South Pacific and accepted on Jakara’s behalf by Geoff Lipshut, CEO Olympic Winter Institute of Australia.

Record breaking world cup season, 14 wins and a bronze medal from 16 starts. Besides rewriting the history books as the most successful Moguls skier in a World Cup season, Anthony brought home three Crystal globes.

Jakara Anthony: “I am beyond honoured to be taking home the Ian Thorpe Outstanding Achievement Award presented by Powerade. It’s been such a spectacular year for sport across Australia, and in particular our NSWIS athletes. It was a really exciting season for myself and my team who were able to take home 14 out of 16 World Cup wins which was the most out of any male or female from out sport [moguls] and take home three Crystal Globes on top of that.

“It’s really special to be recognised for that. A massive thank you to NSWIS for their continued support, I’m looking forward to see what we can do in the future.”

Jakara Anthony’s record breaking season has finished in the best possible way, with a gold medal performance in the dual moguls at the World Cup in Valmalenco, Italy, extending her record for the most ever wins in a season for a mogul skier to 14, in the greatest season ever by an Australian winter sports athlete.

Anthony also collected her third of three World Cup Champion Crystal Globes for the season, after finishing ranked first in single moguls, dual moguls and the overall which combines both mogul disciplines. The NSWIS skier cruised through the early rounds of the event to again reach the big final against world number two Jaelin Kauf of the USA.

In a close final with both skier’s neck-and-neck throughout the run, Anthony prevailed with a score of 20 to 15, with her superior jumps and turns giving the 2022 Olympic champion the 22nd victory of her impressive career and only two wins behind aerial skiing legend Jacqui Cooper who leads all Australian winter sport athletes with 24 career victories. Anthony also ties aerial skiing pioneer and first skiing World Champion, Kirstie Marshall, for the most career total World Cup podiums by an Australian athlete at 41.

“It’s been a rough week, I have been sick since the event last weekend in Kazakhstan, so pretty stoked to come out and put down some high quality runs and get the job done” said the 25-year-old from Barwon Heads in Victoria.

“The season has been absolute wild, it’s hard to put it into words, I am super proud of what I have been able to achieve with my team around me, and the skiing and jumping I have been able to do.”

“World Championship gold is the only major medal I don’t have now, and we have the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games coming up which will be the first time dual moguls are in the Olympics. Me and my team are just going to keep ticking along, trying to change things every year and get better.”

Matt Graham and Cooper Woods elected not to compete in the final event and returned to Australia after last week's event in Kazakhstan

Jakara Anthony’s unstoppable form continued with her 13th victory of the season in the dual moguls event in Almaty, Kazakhstan, extending the total for the most ever wins in a season by a mogul skier, and so claiming all three World Cup Crystal globes with one event remaining next week in Italy. Anthony recorded back-to-back wins in Kazakhstan after the previous day’s record-breaking single moguls competition.

The NSWIS skier cruised through the early rounds of the event to reach the big final against world number two Jaelin Kauf of the USA. In a close final with both skiers neck-and-neck throughout the run, Anthony prevailed with a score of 18 to 17, giving the 2022 Olympic champion the 21st victory of her impressive career and now only three wins behind aerial skiing legend Jacqui Cooper who leads all Australian winter sport athletes with 24 career World Cup victories.

“That’s a few back-to-back wins for the season now, we are getting to the end of the season now, this was our 15th event, so to be able to keep bring that week after week I am really proud of that”, said the 25-year-old from Barwon Heads in Victoria.

“Being the top seed in duals means you switch lines every dual round, and I have been lucky to be the top seed most of the season, so I am quite confident at it now, but it was a bit rattling at the start of the season, so it’s really good training for me.”

“We have one more start next week in Valmalenco, and then it’s season done.”

In the men’s event, NSWIS teammate Matt Graham reached the quarter-final stage, finishing in ninth place after losing a narrow dual to eventual bronze medallist American Landon Wendler in a score of 17-18. Canadian Mikael Kingsbury claimed the victory, with Pavel Kolmakov of Kazakhstan in second place.

The mogul skiers l now head to Italy for the final World Cup of the season in Valmalenco, Italy, competing in a dual mogul event. In Valmalenco the Crystal Globes for dual moguls and overall moguls will be presented, where Anthony has an unbeatable lead in the rankings.

NSWIS skier Jakara Anthony’s unbelievable form has continued with her 12th World Cup victory of the 2023-2024 season in Almaty, Kazakhstan, breaking the record for the most wins in a single season by a mogul skier. Also joining Anthony on the podium was NSWIS teammate Matt Graham in the men’s event with a bronze medal performance.

The previous record of 11 wins was set by legendary American Olympic Champion mogul skier Hannah Kearney during the 2011-2012 season, and has the opportunity to further extend her total with two dual mogul events remaining.

Anthony also received the Crystal Globe as the World Cup champion in the single moguls discipline for the second straight year, after winning a remarkable seven of eight events in that discipline and now has 20 career World Cup victories.

In a commanding performance, Anthony won every stage of the competition to advance to the super-final medal round, scoring 82.74 points to comfortably take the victory 6.57 points ahead of American Alli Macuga of the USA in second place on 76.17, with her teammate Hannah Soar in third with 73.84.

”Today was pretty phenomenal, I can finally talk about that record 12 wins in one season, the most ever by a mogul skier, and to finally get the Crystal Globe in my hand for the first time in person is a pretty special feeling”, said the 25-year-old from Barwon Heads in Victoria.

“Crystal Globes are so hard to come by as you have to ski so consistently all season, to get another one I never dreamt of this.”

“We have a dual moguls event here tomorrow, and then one next week in Valmalenco, Italy, so have a bit more skiing to do. Duals is a different game but it’s going to be in the next Olympics in Milan in 2026, so I am looking forward to getting some more volume competing in that discipline and learning some new skills I can take there.”

In the men’s event, Matt Graham had his second medal performance of the season and 25th podium of his career after finishing in third place. Graham scored 80.81 points in the super final to finish behind event winner Mikael Kingsbury of Canada on 84.49, with Ikuma Horishima of Japan in second place with 83.48 points.

“This course here suits me a lot, and I was able to put my high degree of difficulty down with a back double full and cork 1080 run together, which I haven’t done too often, and moving forward into the next Olympic campaign that’s the goal for me and compete with the likes of Ikuma and Mikael“, said the 29-year-old from the NSW Central Coast.

Jakara Anthony’s incredible record-breaking season has continued with her eleventh World Cup victory of the season in the dual moguls event in Deer Valley, USA. The win also secured the World Cup Mogul Skiing Overall Crystal Globe at the iconic event, regarded as the “Superbowl” of freestyle skiing as and most prestigious competition on the World Cup circuit.

Anthony has broken the record for most career mogul skiing wins by an Australian with the 19th victory of her career, going past legendary two-time Olympic medallist Dale Begg-Smith. The eleventh win of the season also ties American Olympic champion Hannah Kearney for the most World Cup wins in a single season by a mogul skier.

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, where Anthony putting down a fast and 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 to one.

Rounding out the podium in third place was Olivia Giaccio.

”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 the 25-year-old from Barwon Heads in Victoria.

“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, and the final event of the season in Valmalenco, Italy, 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 the next few weeks, 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.

SINGLE MOGUL WORLD CUP
Two days earlier in Deer Valley, a single moguls World Cup took place on the "Champion Run", where unusually warm temperatures impacted the conditions, with the wet snow making the difficult course inconsistent and slow.

NSWIS skier Matt Graham recorded the best result of the Australian athletes, finishing ninth while with teammate Cooper Woods was unable to finish his finals run and  a ranking of 16th. George Murphy had his second best performance of the season in 23rd place, and Oliver Logan was 35th.

After dominating the qualification phase of the competition by almost 10 points, Olympic Champion Jakara Anthony made an uncharacteristic mistake in finals. The course got slower on the top jump, causing a miscalculation on the rotation for her d-spin 720 with grab and came in short on the landing to place 13th.

Early Sunday morning Jakara Anthony continued her incredible record breaking season with her tenth World Cup victory of the season in the dual moguls event in Waterville, USA.

Anthony now joins legendary Olympic champion and two-time medallist Dale Begg-Smith with 18 career World Cup victories, the most ever by an Australian mogul skier.

In overcast conditions the NSWIS skier cruised through the early rounds of the event to reach the semi-final stage against American Tess Johnson, where Anthony recorded a comfortable win 32 points to 3.

Anthony then faced her main rival this season, American Jaelen Kauf in the gold medal run, and in a close battle Anthony narrowly prevailed with a score of 18-17 to give the 2022 Olympic gold medallist her eighth straight victory in a row.

Rounding out the podium in third place was Olivia Giaccio who is also from America.

”It was really cool to come to Waterville, I haven’t been to too many brand new places on tour recently, so get to come to somewhere new and experience it has been really awesome, and I love competing in the United States,” said the 25-year-old from Barwon Heads in Victoria.

In the men’s event NSWIS athlete Cooper Woods made it through to the quarter final stage to finish in seventh place, with teammates George Murphy in 29th, Oliver Logan 39th and Matt Graham 46th.

The mogul skiing athletes now head to Deer Valley in the USA, for another single and dual mogul event next weekend on the always testing “Champion Run” at the 2002 Olympic venue.

Anthony is one win away from equalling 2010 Olympic champion Hannah Kearney of the USA for the most ever wins in a season by a mogul skier, which the American achieved in the 2011-2012 World Cup season.

“Deer Valley is always the highlight of the season for everyone, so really looking to that,” said Anthony.

“They put on a good show there and it’s one of my favourite courses. It’s where I got my first World Cup start, my first World Championship podium and I had a win there last year, so looking forward to getting back there.”

“It’s been a crazy season, one win off that record set by Hannah Kearney, it’s getting close now, we will have to see what the rest of season brings, but I won’t be focusing on that too much, that’s when I might start making mistakes, so keep focusing on what I need to do out there and get better every competition.”

On Saturday Jakara Anthony’s record setting season has continued, claiming her ninth World Cup victory of the season, and securing the World Cup season Crystal Globe title for single moguls in another amazing day for Australian mogul skiing, on which teammate Cooper Woods broke through for his first career World Cup podium in Waterville, USA, the birthplace of freestyle skiing.

In a dominant performance, the NSWIS skier again won every stage of the competition, and in the super-final medal round scored 81.22 points to finish a huge 9.49 points clear of Olympic silver medallist Jaelen Kauf of the USA in second place on 71.71 points, with another American Hannah Soar rounding out the podium in third on 67.93 points. Anthony now has 17 career World Cup wins and is one victory away from matching the legendary Dale Begg-Smith on 18 career victories.

That's awesome, I kind of knew it in the back of my head, but all the focus was out there on the run, so to get the job done on a pretty tricky course I am over the moon,” said the 25-year-old from Barwon Heads in Victoria.

“It’s crazy to have locked that up (Crystal Globe) so early (two events remaining) and to have taken so many (wins) in a row, you can’t think about it too much, because that’s a pretty fragile stat there, but I am pretty stoked to have achieved that this season.”

In the men’s event Cooper Woods has been showing great potential since finishing sixth at the 2022 Olympic Games. Woods has qualified for finals in every event this season, has been close to the podium and finally his performance claimed the first World Cup medal of his career. Woods ended the day with the silver medal, finishing ahead of Olympic champions Mikael Kingsbury of Canada and Walter Wallberg of Sweden in the men’s super-final.

Woods scored 81.04 points to finish in second place behind Japanese skier Ikuma Horishima of Japan who took the win with a score of 85.84, with Kingsbury in third with 80.07 points.

“Today was all different conditions, it was firm this morning and as the weather changed the course changed, but all you can do is just focus on the one run, and I got the qualifications, finals and then the super-final, I left nothing back and it’s nice to see a score, “said the 23-year-old from Pambula Beach in NSW.

Also in action for Australia was Olympic medallist Matt Graham who reached finals finishing in 13th, with NSWIS teammates George Murphy and Oliver Logan unable to complete their runs.

Jakara Anthony’s incredible season has reached a new milestone, setting the record for the most World Cup wins in a single season by an Australian in any wintersport discipline, with her eighth victory under lights in the dual moguls in Val St Come, Canada.

The victory sees Anthony move past former teammate Britt Cox who had seven World Cup wins in the 2016-2017 season, and Anthony can further add to the tally with a further seven World Cup events remaining this winter.

The NSWIS skier moved though the early rounds with ease, setting up a semi-final against Rino Yanagmoto of Japan. In her most competitive matchup of the day, Anthony took the victory with a score of 21 points to 14.

In the big final to decide the gold medal, Anthony faced American Jaelin Kauf, the only other skier to also win an event this season. Both skiers pushed their limits into the top air, but Kauf was unable to maintain the pace crashing out in the middle section, giving Anthony her 16th career win with a score of 35-0.

“You dream of coming and skiing World Cup when you are a little kid, but to actually be here and be as dominant as I am at the moment is really special,” said the 25-year-old from Barwon Heads in Victoria.

“Today was another good day, I made it through each round as it came, I think I did some really good skiing. Pushed super hard against Jaelin and she went hard as well, we put on a good show for everyone and it’s nice to go out there and be challenged by the other girls.”

In the men’s event, 2018 NSWIS Olympic silver medallist Matthew Graham won his first World Cup medal of the season and 24th of his career, finishing third after a freak accident saw his opponent Ben Cavet of France in the bronze medal duel crossing over into Graham’s side of the course, with Graham landing on the French skier whilst completing the top air jump.

“The course here is amazing, the guys who built it did a great job here in Canada and the organising committee, we are skiing some big proper moguls and I love that," said the 29-year-old Graham from the NSW Central Coast.

“Really happy to walk away from that crash against Ben, probably one of the scariest crashes I have been in, I just saw him at the last minute and pulled my legs though to try and miss landing on his face essentially.”

“I took a bit of time off after the Ruka World Cup (in early December), because I had a couple of shoulder surgeries over the course of 2023 so I missed the offseason. I then went back home and went to the water ramps and cut my knee really bad and had to have surgery just a month ago, so this is the first time I have skied since Ruka and I am just stoked to be back and the body is feeling good.”

Also in action for Australia were NSWIS teammates Cooper Woods who had a personal best dual mogul finish in fifth place, with George Murphy in 38th and Oliver Logan 40th.

The mogul skiers will now go to Waterville Valley in the USA, for another single and dual mogul event next weekend.

Australian mogul skier Jakara Anthony continued her unstoppable form into the new year with her seventh World Cup victory of the season under lights in Val St Come, Canada.

The performance sees Anthony equal former teammate Britt Cox for the most mogul skiing World Cup wins in a season by an Australian mogul athlete, and now has 15 career World Cup gold medals, moving closer to legendary Australian mogul skier Dale Begg-Smith’s 18 career victories and within sight of Jacqui Cooper’s all Australian winter sport record of 24.

The NSWIS skier was again dominant winning all three phases of the competition, scoring 82.01 points in the super-final to record a large victory margin of 7.14 points over American Jaelin Kauf in second place, with Hinako Tomitaka of Japan rounding out the podium in third.

“It’s getting a little tricky in there now, I definitely think I came out and did some of my best skiing in qualifications, which isn’t normally how it goes, but loving getting to ski out here on the course, it’s pretty fun,” said the 25-year-old from Barwon Heads in Victoria.

“It’s my third World Cup here and first win, one place better than last year.”

In the men’s event, the 2018 Olympic silver medallist Matt Graham was the best placed Australian in ninth, with NSWIS teammate Cooper Woods also advancing through to finals in 15th place. Graham’s performance was a very positive return to competition after a month’s break in Australia.

Also in action for Australia was George Murphy in 32nd and Oliver Logan in 38th.

Australian mogul skier Jakara Anthony has continued her unstoppable start to the 2023-2024 FIS World Cup season, recording her sixth victory overnight in the final event of the calendar year in Bakuriani, Georgia.

Anthony’s start to the season is by far the best by any Australian wintersports athlete, winning a medal in all seven events this season, which includes six victories and a bronze medal.

The 2022 Olympic Champion has now has 14 career World Cup gold medals, moving her closer to legendary Australian mogul skier Dale Begg-Smith’s 18 career victories.

Anthony moved through the dual mogul rounds with ease, with her closest race coming in the semi-final stage against American Jaelin, Kauf. Earlier in the season Kauf had denied Anthony a win in the dual mogul event in Idre Fjall, Sweden, but this time Anthony advanced to the gold medal dual matchup with a score of 20 points to 15.

In the big final, Anthony easily won against Canadian Maia Schwinghammer with a score of 35-0, after Schwinghammer crashed out after the top air.

“It was an awesome day out here for duals, and to go on the podium with Jaelin and Maia,” said the 25-year-old from Barwon Heads in Victoria.

“Jaelin is renowned for her speed, so to finally get one on her on that, and to see Maia get her first podium was awesome to be a part of.”

In the men’s event, 2022 Olympian Cooper Woods finished in seventh, his best dual mogul result of the season to date, losing his dual against eventual event winner Mikael Kingsbury of Canada, 14 points to 21.

The mogul skiing World Cup tour is on break until the third week of January, with the first event of 2024 scheduled to take place in Val St. Come, Canada, on January 19 and 20.

Jakara Anthony made it a double gold medal celebration in Alpe d’Huez, winning her first dual mogul event of the season, the 12th World Cup victory of her impressive career.

Anthony cruised through the early rounds of the event to set up a semi-final matchup against Tess Johnson of the USA. Anthony won convincingly with a score of 31-4 to advance to the big-final.

In the big final, Anthony faced another American, Olivia Giaccio, and in a much closer dual Anthony prevailed with a score of 20-15.

“It’s super exciting to go back-to-back at this event again, I did it a couple of years ago, but missed the first place in the duals last year, so to get a little redemption is nice” said the NSWIS skier.

In the men’s event Cooper Woods finished in 15th, Oliver Logan 44th and George Murphy 46th.

Anthony and Woods will now compete in the final World Cup of the year at Bakuriani, Georgia, in single and dual mogul competitions on December 22 and 23.

NSWIS mogul skier Jakara Anthony has continued her incredible start to the 2023-2024 FIS World Cup season, with a third consecutive victory in the single mogul event, recording the 11th win of her career in Alpe d’Huez, France.

The 2022 Olympic champion was very impressive, leading from start to finish and moving through all three rounds of the competition in first place, matching the feat from the previous two World Cup events this season.

In the events three year history at Alpe d’Huez, Anthony has never lost in the single moguls event at the iconic French Alps resort, which is also world famous for its gruelling mountain climb stage in the Tour de France.

Anthony scored 79.98 points In the super-final medal round to finish 4.34 points of second place finished Jaelen Kauf of the USA on 75.64 points with her American teammate Olivia Giaccio in third with a score of 74.82.

“Can’t ask for much more than that, leading from round-to-round again, so always nice to be rewarded for that,“ said the 25-year-old from Barwon Heads in Victoria.

“I was pretty nervous out there today, so I am pretty happy just to put down three solid runs, get through each round, and have another crack at doing what I am out here today.”

In the men’s event Cooper Woods made hist first top-six super final of the season, laying it all on the line but unfortunately skiing out of the course and around a control gate to record a did not finish, giving him a final ranking of sixth place. George Murphy was 22nd in qualifying with Oliver Logan recording a did not finish.

The first World Cup dual mogul event of the season took place in Idre Fjall, with Jakara Anthony taking home yet another medal, this time a bronze in the duals.

The NSWIS skier moved through the rounds of 32, 16 and 8 with ease to advance through to the semi-final round against Jaelin Kauf of the USA.

In a hotly contested matchup, Anthony was narrowly defeated with a score of 15-20 in the American's favour, leaving Anthony to duel in the final round for third place.

In the small final, Anthony easily recorded her third medal of the season, out duelling Hinako Tomitaka of Japan 29-6.
Kauf went on to take the win, defeating Japanese skier Rino Yanagimoto with a score of 26 points to 9.

Cooper Woods was again the highest place NSWIS male skier finishing in 17th, with teammates George Murphy 40th and Oliver Logan 44th.

The mogul team now heads to Alpe d'Huez France, for the next round of World Cup competition on December 15-16.

Jakara Anthony has started the 2023-2024 FIS World Cup season in incredible form, winning consecutive events within six days after recording the tenth World Cup victory of her career in Idre Fjäll, Sweden.

The NSWIS skier was dominant, leading from start to finish, again moving through all three rounds of the competition in first place, replicating the effort from the opening event in Ruka, Finland.

In the super-final medal round, Anthony put down a commanding run to score 79.74 points, finishing a huge 7.32 points higher than second place finisher Rino Yanagimoto of Japan on 72.42, with American Olivia Giaccio in third with 72.16.

“It’s a pretty cool way to kick off the season, winning the first event and then backing up here“ said the 25-year-old Olympic champion from Barwon Heads in Victoria.

“We have another five starts before Christmas, so looking to keep carrying that momentum moving forward.”

“It’s going to be exciting with dual moguls coming up tomorrow, speed will be important in there, it’s easy to get stuck in the face of the bumps and slow down. I think it’s always important for duals to be fast but always good execution as well so I will go out and do my best.”

In the men’s event, NSWIS skier Cooper Woods made it through to finals for the second week in a row, finishing in ninth place, with his teammate Oliver Logan achieving a personal best result of 33rd but George Murphy unfortunately recorded a did not finish.

It has been an incredible start to the 2023-2024 northern hemisphere winter for Australia with a gold medal overnight to mogul skier Jakara Anthony in Ruka, Finland, and a silver medal in the big air in Beijing, China, for snowboarder Tess Coady.

It was the opening event of the season for the 2022 Olympic medallists, with Anthony winning for the second consecutive time to start the season in Ruka and for Coady the second place finish was the best big air result of her World Cup career.

Anthony put in a commanding performance, winning every stage of the mogul competition to record the ninth World Cup victory of her career.

In the super-final medal round, Anthony put down a flawless run to score 84.18 points, with a large victory margin of 4.5 points over second place finisher Elizabeth Lemley of the USA who scored 79.68 and fellow American Olivia Giaccio with 76.35 points.

“It’s been really awesome to go back-to-back last year and this year here in Ruka and really proud of the way I was able to ski out there and have a lot fun whilst I was doing it,“ said the 25-year-old from Barwon Heads in Victoria.

“It’s been a little different this year, we are missing Perrine Laffont and Anri, those girls I am usually mixing it up with, but still such a strong field in the women’s and it’s exciting to see everyone out there and pushing it.”

“We are definitely looking forward to hanging onto this (the yellow lead bib),but we will see what comes, I just want to
go out there and have a crack and give it my best.”

In the men’s event dual 2023 World Championship medallist Matt Graham was unlucky not to make the super-final, missing out by one place in seventh. Also in the final was Cooper Woods in 16th, with Oliver Logan in 31st in his World Cup debut and George Murphy 38th.

The mogul skiing athletes will now head to the Swedish resort of Idre Fjäll for a double event next weekend on December 8-9.

The first event for the FIS Freestyle World Cup season takes place this weekend in Ruka, Finland, with the Australian Aerial and Mogul skiing teams based at the Finish resort for a number of weeks, training on the World Cup courses in the lead in to the first event.

First up will be the Mogul World Cup on Saturday December 2, with Olympic gold medallist and 2023 World Cup single moguls champion Jakara Anthony looking to replicate her win at Ruka 12-months-ago. 2023 dual World Championship medallist Matt Graham will be competing for the first time since end of season shoulder surgery which impacted his Australian winter, and has worked extremely hard to make it to the start line for the opening event.

Also in action will be Olympic finalist Cooper Woods, Jackson Harvey, George Murphy and making his debut will be 19-year-old Oliver Logan.

"Ruka has been good so far. I am still getting my legs back a bit after my disrupted off-season due to multiple shoulder surgeries," said Graham the 2018 Olympic silver medallist.

"I am pretty confident with how I am skiing and jumping, and I believe I am in a good position to have a good performance this weekend."

"I am excited to get the season underway and see what I am capable of considering how little I have been able to train this year."

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Snow Australia’s Emerging Talent Program (ETP) Moguls athletes and the NSWIS Moguls Team are jumping to new heights at the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre at Sleeman Sports Complex in Brisbane this week.

Under the guidance of ETP Moguls Head Coach Ethan Topalovic and NSWIS Moguls Head Coach Kate Blamey, the up-and-coming mogul skiers are in camp practicing their jumps on the water ramps, learning about strength, recovery and nutrition, and attending workshops to gain a better understanding of what it takes to excel in their chosen sport.
On Thursday afternoon, the athletes had the chance to sit down with moguls Olympic medallists Jakara Anthony and Matt Graham.

In an intimate Q&A session with the multiple World Cup and World Championship medallists, the young athletes relished the opportunity to soak up knowledge on pre-competition preparation strategies, how to move new tricks from the water to snow, how to handle pressure and expectations and how to stay motivated.

"It was super cool to chat to Jakara and Matt today and get an insight into their whole mogul skiing journey,” said NSWIS skier Charlotte WIlson. “It's good to know what we can work on so early on in our journey to ultimately be just like the two of them. 

"Something they said which stuck with me was to just take every opportunity as it comes. We have so many amazing opportunities and so many training camps so making sure that we get the most out of those opportunities is really important.

"We do cross over with the World Cup group a lot so it's really amazing to see them train. Seeing their camaraderie in the gym is nice and helps us to push ourselves and set goals like they do. You know, we want to lift as much as Jakara and be as strong as Matt so we can do all the tricks they do on water. I really admire them, how hard they work and all the steps they've taken to get where they are today.

"It's really just motivated me to work even harder, seeing where they are, and knowing maybe I could be there too."

Olympic silver medallist Matt Graham said he wanted to remind the younger athletes to make the most of every opportunity, especially having access to these new state-of-the-art facilities, and to never stop having fun.

“The key themes from my perspective is to make the most of every opportunity, make sure you’re enjoying yourself, and enjoying the sport, the people around you and having fun,” Graham said.

“I hope these opportunities can help inspire this next generation to give it their all and enjoy all the experiences they’re lucky enough to have. 

“This facility wasn't here when I was growing up and it’s pretty nice for these guys to come up here… and it’s pretty unique in our sport to train alongside the world’s best, whether it’s here at the Jumps or at Perisher on Toppa’s Dream, it’s very unique.”

Beijing 2022 Olympic Champion Anthony said it’s great to chat with the next generation, and while she loves sharing what’s helped in her career, her biggest advice was to get out there and learn through personal experience.

“There’s all sorts of things I wish I knew when I was their age, but I think a lot of that you can only learn through experiences or through meeting certain people in your career,” she said.

“Hopefully they've got some good people that they meet along the way and that can give them that advice and they take it on board. It’s up to you as well to make what you do with what people tell you.

“There’s no point doing it if you're not having fun, and getting to hang out with a pretty cool crew, so I’m sure they’re having the time of their life.”

ETP Moguls Head Coach Topalovic said it’s been satisfying to witness the progress of his group of 13-17 year olds over the past few days in Brisbane.

“I think it's super rewarding to watch these athletes grow at a pretty fast rate compared to what you would get at the high performance end,” he said.

“Watching these athletes at a grassroot level change their skiing overnight, is incredible.

“It's awesome to see them learn and grow not just as athletes, but as humans. With these athletes that I’m coaching right now, all I want to do is help them achieve their goals, whether that be to ski and have fun with my friends, or whether they want to be an Olympic champion.

“Whatever their goal is, my goal is to help them achieve that in any way I can. Touching on your goals; you're part of their program.”

The ETP Athletes wrap up their Water Jump camp this week, with plans to travel to Winter Park, Colorado in early 2024 for an on-snow training camp. The NSWIS team return to Brisbane for another camp in early November before their on-snow season starts in Colorado in late November.

Article Courtesy of Snow Australia

Mogul skier Matt Graham has claimed the second medal for Australia at the 2023 FIS World Championships, with a silver medal performance overnight in Bakuriani, Georgia. Graham has now won medals at the last three World Championships, which are held every two years.
 
The 2018 Olympic silver medallist placed fifth in the first round of finals with a score of 85.60 points, and then stepped it up in the super-final with a huge score of 88.90 points together with the fastest speed in 22.49 seconds.
 
Edging out Graham to take the win by just 0.92 points in the last run of the day was the defending World Champion Canadian Mikael Kingsbury, with Walter Walberg of Sweden rounding out the podium in third with a score of 88.52 points. 
 
“It’s pretty surreal to be honest” said the 28-year-old from the NSW Central Coast.
 
“Everyone was skiing so well today and so fast. In my last run I felt like I had to find three points on top of the other guys, so I just rally planted that top air well, charged though the middle section and then was just hanging on to get off the bottom air and managed to put it to my feet.”
 
“When the score came up and it was over 88, that was awesome, I knew I had put the pressure on the top guys and managed to hold onto second place, so I am over the moon.”
 
“My expectations were to come here and enjoy the experience, and really focus on putting down clean runs that I am happy with, and the results would take care of themselves. If I put that run down and came fifth place then so be it, but fortunately enough it was good for a silver, so I am really happy.”
 
Cooper Woods was the best of the other Aussie skiers in 11th place and World Championship debutants George Murphy and Jackson Harvey were 26th and 28th.
 
Earlier in the women’s competition Olympic Champion Jakara Anthony was sixth in the qualification round but slipped to 17th after having trouble with her top jump landing.
 
The mogul skiers will be back in action tonight competing in the World Championships dual mogul event.

The Australian mogul team has taken part in the final World Cup event before the World Championships, with a dual mogul event in Chiesa in Valmalenco, Italy.

2022 Olympic champion Jakara Anthony was Australia's leading performer at the event, with the NSWIS skier reaching the quarter-final stage, narrowly losing her dual in a score of 17-18 to American Olivia Giaccio, giving her a final ranking of fifth.

Anthony's NSWIS teammates Matt Graham (17th), Cooper Woods (21st) and Jackson Harvey (24th) all exited the competition in the round of 32, with George Murphy (33rd) out in the round of 64.

With two World Cup events remaining in the season, Anthony has an unbeatable lead in the single moguls standings, is fifth in the dual moguls and second on the overall moguls rankings, just 49 points behind Perrine Laffont of France.

Matt Graham is ranked third in single moguls, fifth in duals and fourth on the overall standings.

The single mogul event at the World Championships in Bakuriani, Georgia, will take place on February 25, with dual moguls the next day on February 26.

NSWIS skier Matt Graham has carried his great form over from his win in the single moguls, with a second place finish in the dual event in Deer Valley, his third medal of the season.

Graham advanced through the rounds with ease to reach the big final against his great rival, Mikael Kingsbury of Canada. With both skiers putting it all on the line for the win, Graham unfortunately crashed out in the middle of the course, giving the win to Kingsbury with Graham having to settle for the silver.

Olympic champion Jakara Anthony reached the quarter-final stage, before narrowly being edged out by Japanese skier Rino Yanagimoto with a score of 16-19, finishing in fifth place.

Other NSWIS skiers results include Jackson Harvey in 24th, Cooper Woods 32nd and George Murphy in 45th.

The mogul skiing tour now heads to Valmalenco, Italy, for the last event before the World Championships, a dual mogul World Cup on February 11.