Moguls, Women

Australian Jakara Anthony was the 2022 gold medalist and had won three of the four World Cup moguls in the 2025/26 season, and was considered a favorite. She would be challenged by France’s Perrine Laffont, the 2018 Olympic and 2025 World Champion, and a group of Americans, all of whom had won medals on the World Cup circuit in the current season.

Anthony led the qualifiers over America’s Liz Lemley, with another US skier, Olivia Giaccio, in third, followed by Laffont. Six nations qualified skiers for the final, led by the USA with four, and then Australia, Canada, and Japan, with two each. The first final round advanced eight freestylers to the second final round and was led by Anthony, with Jaelin Kauf (USA) in second place. Laffont made it through, but barely, as she finished eighth.

Anthony struggled in the second final round and finished eighth overall, as the USA went 1-2 with Lemley taking gold and Kauf silver. Laffont tied Japan’s Hinako Tomitaka with 78.00 points, but won the tie-breaker, the turns score, 46.2 to 46.0, for the bronze medal. This was the second consecutive silver medal in the event for Kauf, a first in women’s moguls. Three days later she would again take silver in the dual moguls, beating Lemley in that event, who would win a bronze.

Sweden had one competitor, Elis Lundholm, who placed 25th overall. Born as a female, Lundholm identified as a man and was reported by the Associated Press as the first “transgender” athlete ever at the Winter Games.