- Error in super final proved costly
Aussie superstar Jakara Anthony was ‘bummed’ after a devastating fall in the super final ended her hopes of winning back-to-back moguls gold medals at the Winter Olympics.
Anthony, 27, was widely expected to blitz the field in Milano-Cortina, but a stumble on a mogul left her pondering what may have been.
‘I’m bummed obviously, it just wasn’t my day,’ a graceful Anthony said minutes after the shock result.
‘I’m really proud of the skiing I was able to do on the course. I think I was skiing and jumping at such a high level and skiing with good speed and I think I really had what it took to take that top step (of the podium).
‘I showed that in the first couple of rounds, but just didn’t put it down in that last one when it counted.’
Speaking in commentary, Anthony’s former teammate Britt Cox said she ‘had no words’ and Aussie tennis champion Todd Woodbridge described the ‘devastation’ in the crowd, which included the freestyle skier’s parents and friends.
Aussie superstar Jakara Anthony was ‘bummed’ after a devastating fall in the super final ended her hopes of winning back-to-back moguls gold at the Winter Olympics
Anthony, 27, was widely expected to blitz the field in Milano-Cortina, but a stumble on a mogul left her pondering what may have been
Jakara Anthony will now turn her attention to the dual moguls event this weekend, where she will again be among the favourites for a gold medal
‘Everyone is speechless,’ he said. ‘This is absolute devastation for Jakara Anthony.’
Anthony’s father Darren felt a gold medal was a ‘done deal’ after watching his daughter master the Livigno course in her first two runs of the competition.
‘(But) no matter what the result is, we are so proud of her,’ he told Nine.
‘It has been very special being here.’
Thankfully for Anthony, her shot at redemption isn’t in 2030 – it is in three days’ time.
This weekend the dual moguls event has been added to the program at Milano- Cortina, which sees two skiers against each other in a race down the course.
Anthony will again start among the favourites for gold in that event, starting on Saturday night (AEDT).
‘It’s kind of nice that we’ve got the dual moguls, I’ve been saying it’s not four years to wait for the next opportunity, it’s only three days,’ she said.
‘So definitely looking forward to that, but I’m sure there’ll be a few girls out there looking for redemption.’
Fellow Aussie Charlotte Wilson finished sixth in the super final with a score of 75.17.
