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11 Dec 2025 18:53
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  •   Home > News > Sports

    Jakara Anthony, Matt Graham claim FIS moguls gold in Ruka, two months out from Winter Olympics

    Olympic medallists Jakara Anthony and Matt Graham start their FIS World Cup seasons with a bang, claiming double gold in Ruka just two months out from the Milano-Cortina Games.


    Australia's moguls skiers have got their Winter Olympic season up and running with a superb double gold in the FIS World Cup event in Ruka, Finland.

    Defending Olympic champion Jakara Anthony and 2018 Olympic silver medallist Matt Graham both claimed victories on the Battery Course in the Finnish resort on Monday night.

    It is Anthony's first World Cup gold in 12 months after missing most of last season with a broken collar bone.

    "It's pretty special," she told FIS.com.

    "It's probably nearly a year to the day of getting injured. I've been out since then, so this is a pretty special one."

    Anthony made the final of the season opener in tough, icy conditions the day prior after qualifying third, but was unable to complete her run, perhaps a little rusty after watching from afar for the past 12 months.

    "Yesterday was a bummer," she said.

    "I just didn't quite nail that last one.

    "To get redemption tonight is pretty special. It's been a while since I skied a comp, so I had to remember that and make those adjustments tonight."

    American pair Olivia Giaccio and last year's World Cup winner Jaelen Kauf claimed the other two podium positions.

    The victory is the 27-year-old's 24th World Cup gold.

    Australians Charlotte Wilson (13th) and Emma Bosco (20th) also competed. 

    Meanwhile, Graham claimed his first victory in a World Cup since Deer Valley in the 2022/23 season, nailing a superb run as last skier to compete.

    "It's good to be putting down really good runs. The course was challenging, but really fun, and I'm just enjoying it," he said.

    "To get a double gold with Jakara — it's massive. We're not a skiing nation. We're a beach nation, so how the hell does this happen?"

    Fellow Australian Harvey Jackson (18th) also competed, with Cooper Woods and George Murphy both failing to complete the course in what remained tough conditions. 

    Graham, 31, has had a superb start to the season, claiming fourth place in the season opener on the same course on Sunday.

    It is the third time in history that Australia has claimed gold medals in both men's and women's events on the same day.

    Veteran skier Graham has been a part of all three.

    There was disappointment for the aerial skiers though, with Australia missing having a skier on the podium for the first time in a World Cup event since January 2023.

    Airleigh Frigo (6th), Laura Peel (10th), Danielle Scott (13th) and Abbey Willcox (14th) all competed in the women's event, with Riley Flanagan (19th) in the men's.

    The next two moguls events on the calendar in Sweden and Georgia have been cancelled, so the moguls skiers will take a break and resume competition in the new year at Val Saint-Come in Canada.

    The Winter Olympic Games competition gets underway in Livigno on February 10.

    © 2025 ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved

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