Have A Go Olympic Challenge 2024

HAVE A GO AT OLYMPIC SPORTS

FIND YOUR SPORT
Background image

Mogul Skiing Preview: Qualifying

 

Mogul Skiing Preview: Qualifying

Author image
AOC
James Matheson

Mogul Skiing has been one of Australia's most successful events at the Olympic Winter Games and our latest Olympic campaign starts with the qualifiers today (Thursday), one day out from the Opening Ceremony.

At three of the last four Olympic Winter Games Australia’s mogul skiing team has taken away a medal, making this an event one not to be missed. The green & gold will be represented by red-hot skiers who are more than ready to mix it with the world’s best.

PyeongChang 2018 silver medallist and current World Cup champion Matt Graham is looking to go one step further in Beijing.

Jakara Anthony is in phenomenal form this season as she’s delivered a staggering eight World Cup podiums at her last nine World Cup events.

Britt Cox is fired up and ready to fly at her fourth Olympics, with the one-time world champion and World Cup champion wanting to add more impressive results to her CV.

 

James Matheson and World Cup medallist Brodie Summers are competing at their second and third Olympics respectively. Beijing 2022 debutant Cooper Woods is in fine form, having secured a top-five result at the Deer Valley World Cup.

Taylah O’Neill is lining up for second Games and Sophie Ash, who posted an impressive 13th Mont Tremblant (Canada) in January, will make her debut.

Earlier this week Britt spoke about how excited the moguls team was with their first impressions of the course and facilities at Beijing, as the conditions are always a factor in laying down the best run.

“The course was impeccable and it was basically a dream course to ski,” Britt said.

“We only had an hour of training and I tried to fit in as many runs as I possibly could because I was having so much fun out there.

“It’s a massive credit to the Chinese and the Beijing Organising Committee for creating such an awesome course. There was a bit of fresh snow on the course, which is always a lot of fun for us as mogul skiers to have something to soften the moguls.”

It was only eight weeks ago that Matt Graham broke his collarbone at the World Cup in Sweden, but he’s made a strong and swift recover to be ready to shine at these Games.

“[I’m] really happy to be here [as] it’s obviously been a very different lead up to these Olympics compared to the previous two,” Matt said.

“I guess there were some tough periods over the last two months after the incident, but I had a great team around me. The medical staff and all the physios involved did a really good job to get me in for surgery as soon as possible and to get me home safely.

“It’s kind of remarkable how far it has come in the last three weeks. Three weeks ago today, I was sitting on the couch icing pretty much non-stop and in a sling.

“One week after that I was able to use our facility up in Brisbane for a couple of days to get jumping again and get some good feelings back and test the shoulder out. Then shortly after that I flew out to meet the team in Finland for a short six-day training camp in Ruka.

“The fact that it is a shoulder, not a knee, or a hip, or a back, it might not be 100% - but I don’t need it to be 100% for me to be able ski at the level I need to be competitive here in Beijing.”

Tonight will be the first of two qualification runs. The top 10 skiers from qualification run one will earn a ticket directly into the first round of the finals. Those that miss out will face off again, with another 10 spots up for grabs in the second qualification run directly before the finials on the weekend.

Leading into these Games there’s no Aussie mogul skier that’s had more consistency leading into these Games than Jakara Anthony, which is a noticeable sign of her development since PyeongChang 2018.

“This has been a very consistent season for me. I think I am a consistent skier and I think all the years prior to that were quite consistent for me, [it’s] just that this season and over the last four years I have progressively stepped up another level,” Jakara said.

“That’s a big testament to all the work myself and my team and all the people around me have been doing to turn all my weaknesses into strengths.

“It’s been a really tough four years but there have been a lot of positives come out of it. I’m definitely a more mature athlete than I was four years ago in Pyeongchang. With a lot more experience, and a lot more skills and tools to bring into my training and competition - that really set me up for success.”

Catch the Aussie women in moguls qualifying from 9pm AEDT on Thursday 3 February and the Aussie men shortly after from 10:45pm AEDT.

Jonathan Sweet

#HaveAGo

Image
Image

Freestyle Skiing

CAN YOU SKI IN AUSTRALIA?

Yes! There are 10 Ski Resorts in Australia that are easy to access.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Skiing is very affordable to #HaveAGo. You can rent all the equipment you need which is a low-cost way to try snowsports.

WHAT KIT DO I NEED?

All you need to get going is skis, poles, ski boots, a helmet, snow jacket, gloves and pants. All these items can be rented from ski shops to help get you started without having to buy everything for your first time.

MORE ON FREESTYLE SKIING TEAM | BEIJING 2022
MORE ON BRITTENY COX
MORE ON JAKARA ANTHONY
MORE ON MATT GRAHAM
MORE ON BRODIE SUMMERS
MORE ON JAMES MATHESON
MORE ON COOPER WOODS
MORE ON SOPHIE ASH
MORE ON TAYLAH O'NEILL
MORE ON BEIJING 2022
MORE ON FREESTYLE SKIING
Top Stories