Australia’s female mogul skiers have opened Australia’s PyeongChang 2018 campaign at Phoenix Park this morning.

Two-time Olympian and 2017 World Champion Britt Cox was the first of the Aussies on the course in Friday’s qualification run, progressing through to Final 1 after finishing 6th place with a score of 76.78.

“It was so fun to get out there, I always say that comp day is my favourite day,” she said.

“Competing at the Olympics and the first event of the Games is really exciting. The course was ripping this morning, so I had a lot of fun.”

For the 23-year-old, who also has a World Championships gold medal and a Crystal Globe as the top ranked freestyle skier of 2017, Friday’s run was “business as usual”.

“I came out in training this morning, got to know the course, was working on my technique and fine-tuning things,” she said.

“Whenever I click into my skis I’m happy, so I had a really good time out here this morning.”

Cox was the only one of the Australian contingent directly through to Final 1 after placing in the top ten.

Australia’s three other female moguls skiers will now need to place in the top ten of qualification 2, which will feature the 20 skiers that have not already progressed, on Sunday to join Cox in Final 1.

Olympic debutant Jakara Anthony finished in 14th place with a score of 69.49 and said that it felt “pretty awesome” to have put down her first Winter Games run.

“There’s room to improve, I can only go up from now,” she said.

“There’s lots of girls that are great that are in front of me a lot of the time or sometimes they’re behind me, it switches up a bit so you don’t really know who’s going to ski well on the course or not.”

The 19-year-old’s fellow teammate and Olympic debutant Madii Himbury finished in 15th place after her first run which featured her signature backflip.

“Today was my first Olympic run so it was a bit nerve racking. Hopefully next time I can go a little bit faster for the whole run,” she said.

“It’s all very exciting, last night it kind of sunk in a bit more with the Welcome Ceremony. The nerves are now out of the way so now we can go and rip it on Finals day.”

Also making her first Olympic appearance in PyeongChang, Claudia Gueli finished in the top 20 with a score of 68.68.
The 20-year-old said that she will be aiming to pick up more speed in the second qualification round.

“I think with the right attitude and the right preparation I should be able to do it,” she said.

“It’s absolutely incredible, I’ve dreamt about this my whole life … I came out today with the best training I’ve had throughout the three days of training. I got to put all the pieces together in comp so it turned out really well.”

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

David Barden
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

With only three weeks until the Opening Ceremony of PyeongChang 2018, the final Olympic qualification Moguls World Cup kicks off in Tremblant, Canada this weekend.

Matt Graham will lead the charge for Australia, fresh off a bronze medal from last week’s Deer Valley World Cup.
With four podium finishes (three bronze and one silver) from five starts this season, Graham’s coach Steve Desovich, is pleased with the progress he is making this Olympic season.

“Matt has done a superb job in most of the events this season getting a handle on his speed and managing his run accordingly,” Desovich said.

"The aims for Matt are to achieve a number of top to bottom simulations in the two days of training beforehand, thereby placing him in a position to perform well in the event itself."

The current world number three will be joined by his Aussie teammates James Matheson, Rohan Chapman-Davies and Cooper Woods-Tapolovic.

Currently ranked 14th in the world, young-gun Jakara Anthony will headline the women’s team in Canada while current world number three Britt Cox attends a pre-Games training camp.

"Britt will not partake in the Tremblant event but will instead engage in a strength and conditioning camp to increase her physical capacities and recovery before Korea,” Desovich said.

19-year-old Anthony made her first Super Final last week at the first Deer Valley World Cup, finishing fifth overall. She has also recorded three top-20 performances this season and will look to carry that strong form in the final world cup before the Winter Olympics.

Joining Anthony on the course will be Sophie Ash, Claudia Gueli, Madii Himbury, Taylah O’Neill and Krystle Yin.

21-year-old Ash has already qualified for two small finals this year, in what is her debut World Cup season.

Teammate Gueli has also recorded a career-best result this year, finishing 10th at the Calgary World Cup in early January. 

The Tremblant Moguls World Cup kicks off at 1.30pm local time (5.30am AEDT Sunday 21st). Watch the finals live in Eurosport from 7.30am AEDT Sunday morning and follow the results online HERE.

Georgia Thompson
olympics.com.au

Australia’s top mogul skiers are strapping in their skis for the final push towards PyeongChang with the World Cup season kicking off in Ruka, Finland on Saturday.

2017 World Champion Britt Cox will lead the charge for Australia in hope of defending her first ever World Cup victory, which she won on the very same mountain 363 days ago (read more about Cox’s preparations here >>>).

Fellow Sochi Olympian and current World number three, Matt Graham won silver in Ruka last year and will be determined for another podium finish this time around.

Cox, Graham and the rest of the Australian Moguls Team have been in Ruka for over a week now, making the most of time time on snow in the pre-comp period before the official World Cup training kicked off on Thursday.

“We achieved 10-11 days on snow with Britt and Matt working separate components of their turns and jumps while also merging them into whole runs,” Australian Moguls Head Coach Steve Desovich said.

“Both Britt and Matt have had some nice moments in training while also understanding that the whole package with all the skills is very much an on going process.

“Both skiers have engaged in their efforts in their physical preparation as well with John Marsden and Will Morgan (Physio) piloting those efforts on behalf of the program.

“We are also fortunate to have our performance psych Dr. Tom Hammond on hand to continue with his integration into our program operation with his curriculum,” Desovich said.

Joining Cox on the start line include fellow PyeongChang hopefuls Jakara Anthony (OWIA) and NSWIS athletes Sophie Ash, Claudia Gueli, Madii Himbury, Krystle Yin and Sochi Olympian Taylah O’Neill.

Alongside Graham in the men’s event will be his Aussie teammates Rohan Chapman-Davies, James Matheson and Cooper Woods-Topalovic.

Sochi Olympian Brodie Summers is missing from the start list as he continues to recover from a knee reconstruction earlier in the year. The world number six is still aiming to qualify for the PyeongChang Games, but will leave his run for a few more weeks to maximize his knee recovery.

"The course here in Ruka is always very challenging and therefore each skier needs to know their parameters and be able to produce on demand with little mystery,” Desovich said.

The event in Ruka marks the start of the five World Cup circuit where athletes will accumulate points to secure a quota for their country at next year’s Winter Olympics.

Qualification kicks off on Saturday night (AEDT) with both the men’s and women’s finals to take place early Sunday morning.

Geogia Thompson
olympics.com.au

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

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

Twenty-year-old mogul skier Britt Cox this afternoon (Australian time) secured Australia’s second World Cup medal in 24 hours to cap off a highly successful weekend at Deer Valley in the United States.

The Olympic Winter Institute of Australia/NSW Institute of Sport athlete snared the bronze medal, which is the third time she has finished third in a World Cup, in the duals moguls event.

Cox’s impressive performance under lights in front of a huge crowd comes on the heels of a second place by teammate Matt Graham who won his first World Cup medal in the singles event on day one at Deer Valley.

The event, regarded as the best on the World Cup tour, was won by Canada’s reigning Olympic champion Justine Dufour-Lapointe with American two-time Olympic medallist Hannah Kearney in second.

Although Cox, who improved on her sixth place in yesterday’s singles event, provided the biggest highlight for the Aussie team this afternoon, there were several other impressive results by OWIA/NSWIS teammates.

Once again Graham showed that he has improved significantly this season when he went down in a tough quarter final tussle with the eventual winner, Olympic silver medallist and current World Cup points leader Mikael Kingsbury from Canada.

American Dylan Walczyk was second and third went to Switzerland’s Marco Tade.

Graham ended the day in sixth overall and his successes this weekend have lifted his current World Cup ranking to number four.

Adding to the fortunes of the day, NSWIS athlete Madi Himbury finished in eighth place after winning through to the quarters, to record a career best in World Cup competition.

In other results for Australians, Nicole Parks was 23rd, Jakara Anthony 38th, Roanna Humphries 39th and James Matheson and Rohan Chapman-Davies were 38th and 40th respectively.

Cox, who has fought back from an interrupted start to the season, clearly showed that she is also still improving each week due to her strong work ethic and is looking for further improvements.

Cox admitted that her podium performance came as a little surprising, particularly as she survived an ultra-close battle in the quarters against Canada’s Maxime Dufour-Lapointe before winning her small final dual against Switzerland’s Deborah Scanzio.

“It did come as a bit of a surprise but it feels awesome, really good,” Cox said.

“I trained so hard all year and I really wanted it.

“I’m really proud and really proud to be part of the Australian team. We have a fantastic relationship and we all push each other.

“And I have two incredible coaches, Steve Desovich and Jerry Grossi, and we’re a fantastic team. With that team around me, it is all very special.”

With World Championships in Kreischberg, Austria, next Sunday, the medal winning performance gives Cox a great deal of confidence.

“I have a lot of confidence because of the way I have trained this year and this is more evidence that shows me that I am capable of skiing well,” she said.

“I will now move forward and focus on the job.

“I’m really happy with the way I’m skiing right now but I know I can do more and it’s just a matter of focusing and making sure everything comes together at the right time and the right place.

“Every competition I go out there and focus on skiing my best and if I focus on that I have confidence I can be the best out there on the day.”

The Aussie team now travel to Austria for a training camp in preparation for Kreischberg.

Results

Women’s dual moguls World Cup, Deer Valley, USA

1.   Justine Dufour-Lapointe (CAN), 2. Hannah Kearney (USA), 3. Britt Cox (AUS), 4. Deborah Scanzio (SUI), 5. Maxime Dufour-Lapointe (CAN), 6. Jee Won Seo (KOR), 8. Madi Himbury (AUS), 23. Nicole Parks (AUS), 38. Jakara Anthony (AUS), 39 Roanna Humphries (AUS).

Women’s moguls World Cup standings after round 4

1.   Justine Dufour-Lapointe (CAN) 285, 2. Hannah Kearney (USA) 246, 3. Chloe Dufour-Lapointe (CAN) 220, 4. KC Oakley (USA) 163, 5. Maxime Dufour-Lapointe (CAN) 151, Britt Cox (AUS) 140, 22. Nicole Parks (AUS) 52, 26. Madi Himbury (AUS) 43.

 

Men’s dual moguls World Cup, Deer Valley, USA

1.   Mikael Kingsbury (CAN), 2. Dylan Walczyk (USA), 3. Marco Tade (SUI), 4Philippe Marquis (CAN), 6. Matt Graham (AUS), 38 James Matheson (AUS), 40. Rohan Chapman-Davies (AUS).

Men’s moguls World Cup standings after round 4

1.   Mikael Kingsbury (CAN) 329, 2. Philippe Marquis (CAN) 185, 3. Endo Sho (JPN) 156, 4. Matt Graham (AUS) 149, 5. Alexandr Smyshlyaev (RUS) 141, 6. Simon Pouliot-Cavanagh (CAN) 140.