LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Jakara Anthony brought another freestyle-skiing gold medal to Australia on Saturday, winning in the Winter Olympics debut of dual moguls, the wilder and more unpredictable cousin of moguls skiing that has been in the Games for decades.
Anthony skied cleanly through all five of the single-elimination races to win a gold that goes alongside the title won by Cooper Woods in an upset in the regular men's moguls earlier this week. The 27-year-old Anthony, from Queensland, also won gold in the individual moguls four years ago at the Beijing Games.
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United States' Jaelin Kauf competes in the women's freestyle skiing dual moguls finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Gold medalist Australia's Jakara Anthony celebrates after defeating United States' Jaelin Kauf in the women's freestyle skiing dual moguls finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
United States' Elizabeth Lemley falls while competing in the women's freestyle skiing dual moguls finals against Australia's Jakara Anthony, not pictured, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Australia's Jakara Anthony celebrates after defeating United States' Jaelin Kauf to win the gold medal in the women's freestyle skiing dual moguls finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Skiing through a heavy snowstorm, the true spirit of this sport was better spelled out by American Jaelin Kauf, who captured her third Olympic silver medal and second of these Games, and her teammate, Elizabeth Lamley, who added bronze to go with the gold she won earlier in the week.
They each won their second medals in four days despite falling in their semifinal rounds.
Kauf's tumble against Canada's Perrine Laffont came after Laffont herself had crashed and skied off the course, meaning the American only had to get up, dust herself off and make it to the bottom of the hill.
Lemley also fell and did not finish in the semifinal against Anthony but advanced to the bronze-medal race.
There, she actually lost the race — a full 0.99 seconds behind Laffont. But because these runs are judged, and time counts for only 20% of the score, with jumps and precision through the moguls counting for the rest, Lamley edged out the Canadian for third.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
United States' Jaelin Kauf competes in the women's freestyle skiing dual moguls finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Gold medalist Australia's Jakara Anthony celebrates after defeating United States' Jaelin Kauf in the women's freestyle skiing dual moguls finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
United States' Elizabeth Lemley falls while competing in the women's freestyle skiing dual moguls finals against Australia's Jakara Anthony, not pictured, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Australia's Jakara Anthony celebrates after defeating United States' Jaelin Kauf to win the gold medal in the women's freestyle skiing dual moguls finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Scotty James was right. The sun did, in fact, rise Saturday morning, even if it was snowing hard at the halfpipe where he came oh-so-close to living out his Olympic dream the night before.
The Aussie snowboarder spent a lifetime trying to reach this moment. When his moment came, he came an agonizing half-turn short of winning the Olympic gold medal that has eluded him. He said he has every intention of staying in the sport, likely for another run at the gold four years from now.
For now, though, a chance to process what just happened. For an athlete who left home and moved to America at age 12 to see just how far he could go in this sport, a second silver medal was nothing to be ashamed of. That's why, in the aftermath, some smiles broke through the inevitable tears.
“It's OK to be upset, it's all right to cry. It's OK to get frustrated, and it's OK to not achieve exactly what you want,” said the 31-year-old James. “Because tomorrow the sun will rise, I'll give the medal to my son, he won't even know what it is, but it'll be a proud moment to give it to him.”
As his documentary that dropped earlier this winter showed, James has it all. He lives in Monaco, has a wife who's the daughter of a billionaire. His son, Leo, is closing in on 18 months old.
That gold medal was, however, the one thing missing — the “elephant in the room" he called it.
It's why the tears flowed freely from the eyes of his mother, Celia, and why his father, Phil, said the evening left him feeling proud, but “a bit flat.”
“I don’t think people really get the work they put in," Celia James said. "All these guys, but if you’re from Australia, you’re away from home a lot from a very young age. I think today is probably a day he thought was going to be a day that was the gold, the reward for it all. And silver is good, but I just think for him, it’s not going to be the reward he wanted.”
James admitted as much.
He'll be 35 at the next Olympics. Japan, which placed four riders among the top seven in Friday's contest, including the man who won, 24-year-old Yuto Totsuka, will only get better and deeper.
In many ways, those riders from Japan have turned these halfpipe contests into an aerial show. They are tremendous snowboarders doing amazing things. James has always been more into the soul of the sport, feeling a really difficult spin or a great grab of the board means as much, or more, than a triple cork.
In his mind, it's a fight worth fighting while he's still healthy and still waking up every day thinking about what else might be possible on that 5-foot-long piece of wood and fiberglass.
Someone asked him: “What is Scotty James' ‘Why?’”
He dissolved into tears, and spoke about his family, friends and support staff that have followed him around the world, pursuing his dream.
“It's a loaded question," he said. “My ‘why’ would be, I want to leave my footprint on the sport, but also the industry. That's sometihng I strive for every day. It's what I get up for. I'm up there for myself and what I can accomplish in the halfpipe. But also to share that with the people who support me.”
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Silver medalist Australia's Scotty James reacts as he arrives for the medal ceremony after the men's snowboarding halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Silver medalist Australia's Scotty James, left, celebrates with gold medalist Japan's Yuto Totsuka after the men's snowboarding halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Australia's Scotty James reacts during the men's snowboarding halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Silver medalist Australia's Scotty James holds an Australian flag after the men's snowboarding halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
