Jakara Anthony

Last updated

Jakara Anthony
OAM
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born (1998-07-08) 8 July 1998 (age 27)
Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Sport
CountryAustralia
Sport Freestyle skiing
Event
Moguls
Medal record
Women's freestyle skiing
Representing Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Event1st2nd3rd
Olympic Games 100
World Championships 010
Total110
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2022 Beijing Moguls
World Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2019 Utah Moguls

Jakara Anthony OAM (born 8 July 1998) is an Australian freestyle skier and Olympic gold medallist. She is the Olympic champion from the women's moguls event at the 2022 Winter Olympics, becoming Australia's sixth Winter Olympic Games gold medallist. She holds the record for the most World Cup circuit victories in a season in women's moguls, achieved during the 2023/24 season. At the 2019 FIS World Championships, she finished with a silver medal.

Contents

Anthony was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours for service to sport as a gold medallist at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games 2022. [1]

Early years

Born in Cairns, Anthony's family moved to Barwon Heads, her hometown, when she was in pre-school. [2] She began skiing at the age of four, as her parents worked as seasonal workers at Mount Buller, spending the winter months skiing and attending primary school and relocated back to Barwon Heads for the summer. [3] [2] At the age of 11, Anthony joined Mount Buller's moguls program. [4]

Career beginnings

Anthony made her World Cup circuit debut in 2015 at the age of 16, finishing 33rd. [5]

In 2017, Anthony made her World Championship debut, finishing 12th overall in the standings in the moguls. [5]

In January 2018, in the lead-up to her first Olympic Games, Anthony achieved a personal-best fifth-place finish at the World Cup event in Deer Valley, reaching the super-final for the first time in her career. [5]

2018 Winter Olympics

Anthony entered the women's moguls event at the Olympics as the 14th seed, finishing 14th in her first qualifying event and advancing to the second qualifying round with 69.49 points. [6]

Anthony progressed through to her second-ever Super Final, finishing fourth with a score of 75.35, only 2.05 points behind bronze medallist Yuliya Galysheva, and 3.30 points behind Olympic champion Perrine Laffont. [7] [8] Her fourth-place finish was considered a surprise, which included finishing ahead of compatriot and defending World Champion, Britt Cox, by 0.27 points. [9] [8] Anthony was pleased with her fourth-place finish, noting that it was her personal best across all her events in her career so far. [10] [8]

2018/19 season

The 2018/19 season continued Anthony's upwards trajectory, winning her first World Cup medal in Thaiwoo, China; as well as her first World Cup circuit victory in Lake Placid. [11] [5]

At the 2019 World Championships, Anthony finished as the top qualifier during the moguls qualification round. [12] She would finish with the silver medal, her first major championship medal in her career, behind Kazakhstan's Yuliya Galysheva. [11] [12]

Breakthrough

2021/2022 season

In the final event before the Olympics at Deer Valley, Anthony won the silver medal behind Anri Kawamura, ahead of defending Olympic champion Perrine Laffont, with the three medallists finishing less than a point apart. [13] This would mean she would enter the Olympic competition as the third seed overall, behind first-seeded Kawamura and second-seeded Laffont, having won one event throughout the World Cup season. [10]

2022 Winter Olympics

During qualification, Anthony finished first overall. [14] Unlike at the 2018 Olympics, Anthony felt it was "tough" during the waiting period between qualification and the finals, as COVID-19 restrictions in China meant athletes weren't able to train on snow until competition day. [15] Once the training period began for the athletes participating in the final, Anthony recalled feeling, "we’re on here, I can do this," which continued as the finals competition began that evening. [15]

In the first finals round, Anthony finished as the top competitor again, with an 81.91-point run; repeating this during the second finals round, finishing first with 81.29 points. [14] As the last skier to go in the Super Final, Anthony described the "state of flow" she felt during her final run and knew that her run was good enough for gold from the moment she finished. [2] Scoring 83.09 points, Anthony became the Olympic champion, with American Jaelin Kauf finishing second, 2.81 points behind. [14]

Anthony's "cork 720 mute" was notably the most difficult aerial trick throughout the women's event, making her the first woman in history to land one at an Olympic Games. [16] [14] [17] This trick proved pivotal to Anthony's dominance throughout the event, a dominance her rivals, including Laffont and Kawamura, could not match. [10] [16] [17] When discussing her aerial skills, which contributed to her high-scoring run at the Olympics, Anthony noted the need to improve them to match the rest of the field, commenting, "The women’s aerial packages have progressed so much since PyeongChang – it’s like night and day." [14] She also credited the then-newly installed aerial water ramp in Brisbane, built for Australia's moguls and aerial skiing teams, as "a game-changing" development, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when they were unable to access overseas resources. [14]

The final was attended by fellow Australian Winter Olympic champions, Alisa Camplin and Lydia Lassila. [3] Camplin, who also acted as Anthony's mentor at the Olympics, praised her for being "steely under pressure." [3] Lassila praised Anthony's "controlled" and "pure dominance" over the competition. [3]

Anthony's gold medal made her the sixth Australian to win a Winter Olympic event and Australia's first Winter Olympic gold medal since 2010. [3] In addition, along with Tess Coady's bronze medal in the women's slopestyle event earlier in the day, they became the first Australians in Winter Olympic history to win medals on the same day. [3] She also became the first Australian to win gold in the women's moguls event. [15]

Post Olympics

Anthony's 12th medal of the season, from the women's moguls final in Megève, France, made her season the most successful by an Australian winter sports athlete, surpassing Alisa Camplin and Britt Cox in 2016/17. [9] [18] She was also able to win her first Crystal Globe for overall moguls and dual moguls, finishing ahead of Laffont in both events, while Laffont won the Crystal Globe in the singles event. [9]

2022/23 season

Anthony continued her momentum from her Olympic victory, winning three of the first four events of the season and earning her first Crystal Globe in the mogul event. [19] She earned her first victory at Ruka, Finland, earning most of her points in her aerial and turn sections, finishing three points ahead of her closest competitor. [20] Her win at Deer Valley coincided with Matt Graham's victory in the men's event, marking only the second time in history that the Australian team won the men's and women's event in the moguls discipline. [19] [21]

Record-breaking winning streak

2023/24 season

Anthony's World Cup season would become not only the most outstanding of her career, but also one of the best mogul seasons of all time, achieving a record haul of wins and the highest points tally in the sport's history. [22] [23]

Anthony's second moguls win came at Idre Fjäll, Sweden, winning with a 79.74-point run during the final round, with Rino Yanagimoto and Olivia Giaccio finishing second and third, respectively. [24] Her fourth win of the season would come in Bakuriani, Georgia, after qualifying and finishing first in all rounds of the competition, with a two-point gap between her and silver medallist Yanagimoto in the Super Final. [25]

Anthony's only one of two losses during the season came at the dual moguls competition in Deer Valley, losing to Olympic silver medallist Jaelin Kauf. [26] She rebounded in the dual moguls event, beating Kauf with a score of 22-13, with a run that Anthony called "one of my best competition runs I have ever done." [27]

In Kazakhstan, Anthony achieved her 12th and 13th victories of the season, surpassing Hannah Kearney's record of most victories in a season, winning seven singles and five dual events. [28] [22] These victories guaranteed that she would win all three Crystal Globes on offer for the season. [22] Her mogul win in Kazakhstan left her 6.57 points ahead of second-place Hannah Soar and gave her a 220-point lead on the World Cup circuit, ahead of Jaelin Kauf, with only one dual moguls event to take place in Italy in March, which would again see Anthony take victory over Kauf for the fifth consecutive time. [28] [26] [29]

Overall, Anthony at the end of the season had won fourteen of the sixteen moguls events held throughout the entire season, with a points total of 1480, 416 points ahead of Kauf, who finished second. [26] She won all three Crystal Globes in moguls, dual moguls and overall points, saying "The season’s been absolutely wild," while also joking "I’m going to have some big luggage issues getting back to Australia tomorrow.” [26] When asked about her next goal, she stated her focus for the next season was to achieve a World Championship title, her only missing major title. [26] Anthony's total victories on the World Cup circuit rose to 21 overall, leaving her three behind the all-time Australian record by aerial skier Jacqui Cooper. [22] When reflecting on the record-breaking season, she said, "It was the longest season I’ve ever competed in with 16 starts, [...] it was really about taking it literally one run at a time and trying to not get too far ahead of ourselves." [30]

2024/25 season

Anthony continued her podium streak into the beginning of the 2024/25 season, with a silver to Perrine Laffont, who was returning from a year-long absence, in Ruka, Finland. [31] Anthony welcomed the return of Laffont to competition, citing it as an extra form of motivation to continue the high standards she set after her Olympic gold in Beijing, adding, "I think it's great to have so many chicks up there at that top end of the sport, that's what makes it exciting." [31] This medal made her the most successful Australian winter athlete in FIS World Cup history, with 42 podiums, breaking the record set by aerial skier Kirstie Marshall. [31]

After a win in Idre Fjäll, Sweden, marking Anthony's 15th win in the past 18 overall moguls events, her incredible run of form came to a sudden end, sustaining a broken collarbone during a training session before the dual moguls event, which would later be cancelled due to poor visibility conditions. [32] [33] She would have surgery in Oslo and miss the rest of the season, returning home to Australia. [33] During her injury recovery, she would act as the prominent athlete promoting the 2026 Winter Olympics in Australia, remaining at home for the entire Australian summer to access specialised medical facilities to aid her recovery and promote the Olympics. [16] When discussing her injury during the Australian Open, she said, "While it's always very frustrating being injured, this is the biggest injury I've had, so I've actually had a pretty good run." [16] When asked about defending her Olympic title, Anthony added that it would depend on "a good performance on the night." [16] She missed the 2025 World Championships in Engadin, Switzerland, due to her injury, missing the opportunity to win an elusive world title.

2025/26 season

Anthony made her return to competition in Ruka, Finland, with two moguls events occurring on back-to-back days. It would be Anthony's first competitive event in a year. [34]

In the final round of the second competition in Ruka, Anthony scored 79.89 points to win the event, beating Olivia Giaccio by 0.25 points, and stated the win felt "special," coming one year and one day after her season-ending collarbone injury last year. [35] When discussing her return to competition, particularly after her performance in the previous event of the weekend, Anthony remarked she needed to "remember" how to ski in competition and make "adjustments" back to a competitive environment, remarking that yesterday's finals performance "was a bummer." [34] [36] Along with Matt Graham winning the men's event, the Australian team completed a gold-medal sweep in an event for the first time since Anthony and Graham achieved it in the dual moguls in Deer Valley in 2023, and only the third time in history that Australia had won both the men's and women's gold medals in the same event. [35] [34] Following the cancellation of the moguls World Cup event in Georgia, Anthony would have to wait until January for more competition training. [36]

Personal life

Anthony is studying for a Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science at Deakin University. [37] [38] In August 2025, the moguls course at Mount Buller was named after her. [39] [4]

Olympic results

 Year  Age  Moguls 
Flag of South Korea.svg 2018 Pyeongchang 19 4
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2022 Beijing 23 1

World Championships results

 Year  Age  Moguls  Dual Moguls 
Flag of Spain.svg 2017 Sierra Nevada 18 12 16
Flag of the United States.svg 2019 Utah 20 2 7
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg 2021 Almaty 22 4 11
Flag of Georgia.svg 2023 Bakuriani 24 17 DNC
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg 2025 Engadin 26DNC

References

  1. ↑ "Ms Jakara Anthony". It's an Honour. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Lai, Gladys (21 March 2022). ""I was on cloud nine": how Jakara Anthony became Australia's golden girl". Vogue Australia. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hytner, Mike (7 February 2022). "Gold medal puts Jakara Anthony in exclusive Australian club after realising childhood Olympic dream". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  4. 1 2 Merrell, Chloe (1 September 2025). "Freestyle skiing: Jakara Anthony has Mount Buller mogul course named after her". Olympics.com. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Jakara Anthony". Olympic Winter Institute of Australia. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  6. ↑ "Aussies off to a solid start in moguls qualification". ABC News. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  7. ↑ "PyeongChang 2018 - Freestyle Skiing Ladies' Moguls Results". Olympics. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 "Aussie women make moguls final, miss medals". ABC News. 11 February 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 "Jakara Anthony breaks Australian record for season medal haul in winter sports". ABC News. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 Smale, Simon (6 February 2022). "How Jakara Anthony found her 'flow' to claim a dominant Winter Olympics gold". ABC News. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  11. 1 2 "Jakara Anthony". Australian Olympic Committee. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  12. 1 2 2019 Womens Moguls results.pdf
  13. ↑ SnowsBest | @misssnowitall (15 January 2022). "Mogul skier Jakara Anthony wins SILVER at final Olympic Qualifier". SnowsBest. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rayson, Zac (7 February 2022). "Olympic champion Jakara Anthony practised secret weapon '2,000 times' - and had a 'game-changer' up her sleeve". Fox Sports. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  15. 1 2 3 Merrell, Chloe (16 March 2022). "Jakara Anthony: You never win alone". Olympics.com. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Ransom, Ian (6 February 2025). "Australia's moguls queen Anthony staying grounded before Milano-Cortina Games". Reuters. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  17. 1 2 "Jakara Anthony wins Australia's first Winter Olympics gold in 12 years". SBS News. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  18. ↑ "Anthony is mogul world number one at season end". Australian Olympic Committee. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  19. 1 2 "Freestyle Skiing - 2022/23 Season Wrap". Snow Australia. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  20. ↑ Oakes-Ash, Rachael (4 December 2022). "Triple gold and a bronze for Australia in FIS World Cup events". SnowsBest. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  21. ↑ Oakes-Ash, Rachael (3 February 2023). "Deer Valley FIS WC moguls gold for Matt Graham and Jakara Anthony". SnowsBest. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  22. 1 2 3 4 Gates, Zachary (10 March 2024). "Aussie Olympic champion's record-breaking heroics". Nine. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  23. ↑ "Aerials & Moguls - 2023/24 Season Wrap". Snow Australia. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  24. ↑ "Olympic champ Jakara Anthony claims another World Cup victory". ABC News. 9 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  25. ↑ "Jakara Anthony continues perfect start to the season in Bakuriani, Ikuma Horishima tops men's". TNT Sports UK. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 "Freestyle moguls skier Jakara Anthony caps off record-breaking season in style". The Guardian. 16 March 2024. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  27. ↑ Cleal, Olivia (5 February 2024). "25-year-old Jakara Anthony crowned Australia's best mogul skier". Women's Agenda. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  28. 1 2 "Aussie moguls star Jakara Anthony wins again to break the record of her American idol". ABC News. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  29. ↑ "Olympic champion Anthony completes glorious season with 14th World Cup win". ABC News. 16 March 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  30. ↑ Federation, International Ski and Snowboard. "Jakara Anthony wins Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin Outstanding Achievement Award". www.fis-ski.com. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  31. 1 2 3 "Jakara Anthony becomes Australia's most successful winter sport athlete with podium in Finland". ABC News. 30 November 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  32. ↑ Woods, Melissa (13 December 2024). "Aussie gold medallist in hospital after nasty crash". 7NEWS. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  33. 1 2 "Defending Olympic moguls champion Jakara Anthony injured, returning home to Australia". CBC News. 13 December 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  34. 1 2 3 Bone, Alyssa (8 December 2025). "Aussie duo make 'massive' statement to win World Cup golds". Nine. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  35. 1 2 "'How the hell does this happen?' Aussie 'beach nation' duo claim double ski golds". The Roar. 9 December 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  36. 1 2 "Double World Cup moguls glory gives Australia timely boost before Winter Olympics". The Guardian. 8 December 2025. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  37. ↑ "Jakara Anthony". Deakin University. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  38. ↑ "Elite Athlete Program Profiles". Deakin University. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  39. ↑ "Jakara Anthony honoured". www.mtbuller.com.au. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
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