Winter Olympics 2022: Jakara Anthony wins gold in women’s moguls

Tess Coady kicked it off with Australia’s first medal of the Games in a blockbuster start to the second day of action.

Taking bronze in the snowboard slopestyle as Zoi Sadowski-Synnott won New Zealand’s first ever gold medal was a special moment.

While Britt Cox couldn’t got deep in the finals in her fourth Olympics, Jakara Anthony then made the day much, much better when she won the first ever moguls medal — and made sure it was gold!

The opening day of action on Saturday was headlined by an emotional interview given by moguls skier Matt Graham.

‘She’s bloody done it’: Aussie wins gold

Jakara Anthony has dominated the women’s moguls competition, winning gold by three points in a stunning result.

The win is Australia’s sixth ever Winter Olympic gold medal and the first since Torah Bright and Lydia Lassila in 2019 in Vancouver.

Finishing first in qualifying and each of the finals, Anthony needed to beat American Jaelin Kauf’s score of 80.28 when she stood at the top of the mountain.

Less than 30 seconds later, Anthony was the Olympic champion, earning a score of 83.09.

Anthony said the result was “incredible” and that she was “lost for words”.

As for how she handled the pressure, Anthony said: “It is a real testament to myself and the team around me in the last four years.

“Really solid processes to follow. It really hasn’t been easy. I think that I am much better athlete and person because of it. I think that is the best thing that has come out of this.

“You know my mind was flicking to what the outcome to be. I thought ‘No, hang on. Come on this is what you need to do right now. This is what you can control’.

“As much as I don’t wants to go thinking about results, it happens. It happens to everyone. It is how you manage that really pays off in the end.”

Lassila then joined the interview and said “From one Olympic Champion to the other … Congratulations mate. Welcome to the club.”

Anthony replied: “Thank you, that means a lot.”

Speaking about Anthony’s achievement on Channel 7, Lassila, who knows first hand how hard it is to win Olympic gold, was blown away.

“She just did exactly what she had to do. It is not easy. We have seen it so many times it the Olympics, it is not easy to win an Olympic medal but she made it look simple,” Lassila said.

“I have flashbacks to presenting Jakara Anthony with intra school medals at the top of the podium. As a little kid, even then she had this intensity about her, you could tell that she was going somewhere.

“She has had to work hard. And she has. She’s done everything she needed to because she wanted it. She wanted it so bad. I know it will inspire so much young girls and boys out there. That was an amazing performance.”

Fellow Australian Winter Olympic gold medallist Alyssa Camplin, who is Deputy Chef de Mission for the Australian team, was in tears for Anthony’s achievement.

“It is a special moment for Jakara and Australia. She is an absolute champion. She has worked so hard for this and a so steely under pressure. I am so incredibly proud,” Camplin said.

“A lot of people along the way that came before me and after me sets the standards. And also a lot of love.

“There is a really family magic in this team right now. We really care about each other. It is not just about each other. It is not just about the skiing. It’s about being good people and being there for each other and through thick an thin and knowing that you are safe no matter what the outcome of the day. It just allows people to fight.”

Before the event, Jakara said she wanted a dog but her mum Sue said she didn’t quite get there.

“No puppies, no puppies, very close,” Sue said when asked.

But dad Daryn seemed to think a gold medal might be worth a golden retriever.

And he added: “I reckon she can have a puppy”.

When Jakara was told about the promise from dad, she had a hilarious response.

“No, he didn’t!” she said. “He won’t come through with that one. He is a bit excited right now.”

Australia had stayed up for the final and were able to see our newest superstar romp to victory.

Anthony and Britt Cox had qualified earlier in the week and were joined in the final by Sophie Ash.

Anthony and Cox had already qualified in 1st and 9th respectively but Ash joined the party with a spectacular performance in qualifying, nabbing third place in the second qualifying.

But while Cox and Ash could only manage 14th and 16th respectively, Anthony qualified first in each of the finals.

Aussie duo make history after shock backflip

Australia’s history-making mixed curling team is not being sent home after news broke earlier in the day that they were going to be on the first plane out of Beijing following a positive Covid test.

Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt were scheduled to compete in a round robin match against Switzerland from 5pm (AEDT) on Sunday, but news emerged after midday that the pair would be leaving China, the Australian Olympic Committee confirmed the news in a statement.

But a matter of hours later, another release revealed the pair would in fact be able to compete against Switzerland.

And hours on from that, they pulled off a massive upset, beating defending silver medallist winning team Switzerland 9-6 in Australia’s first ever curling victory.

And then to make the day even stranger, they defeated reigning gold medalists Canada 9-8 for a second win.

The 11th hour reprieve came after the AOC received an email from the Chinese Public Health System advising that the pair could stay under the close contact provisions as “The MEP examined Tahli Gill’s CT values following PCR testing over the past 24 hours and determined that they fell into an acceptable range.”

Australian Olympic Team Chef de Mission Geoff Lipshut says the pair is extremely excited to be able to resume competition.

“We are thrilled for Tahli and Dean and I am delighted that our headquarters team continued pressing her case, after earlier advice that the pair could no longer compete,” Mr Lipshut concluded.

Earlier in the day, Aussie Olympic champion Lydia Lassila told Channel 7 that it was a “devastating” blow.

“This is just devastating for both of them. But I’d like to think that they’ve whet the appetite for all of us and everyone watching at home to take up some curling. Go out and have a crack,” she said.

“It’s quite amazing that they’ve managed to make it here in the top 10 teams of the world.”

Gill contracted Covid in Canada last month before travelling to Beijing where she returned a positive test. As a result, they were both placed in isolation for two days.

When Gill returned multiple negative test results they were given permission to compete and completed seven matches.

However, she has since returned a positive test on Sunday which started the whole drama.

‘Oh my god’: Aussie’s reply is best thing ever

Aussie debutant Cooper Woods-Topalovic has been left speechless after progressing through to the men’s moguls super final.

His score of 78.88 in the final was enough to finish sixth overall – narrowly falling short of the bronze medal score of 81.48.

His post-run interview said it all as he was left lost for words with pure elation about what he’d achieved.

“Oh my,” he told Seven at the start of his interview.

“What a night. That was just what I’ve been working for my entire life. So to stand up there in the super final, it was just a starstruck moment. I’m a little bit lost for words to be honest.”

Woods-Topalovic really lost it when told Aussie surf legend Mick Fanning had sent him a fan video in the days leading up to his competition.

“Oh my god. That’s unbelievable,” he said.

“I’m so excited to see that. He’s an absolute champion. I can’t wait to see it.”

Fannings message told Woods-Topalovic to simply believe in himself,

“G’day Cooper. Mick Fanning here. How ya goin’ mate? I just wanted to wish you all the best for the upcoming Olympics,” the former world champion said.

“I know it’s been a bit of a struggle to get there. But if life was easy everyone would be doing this. So believe in yourself mate. You’ve done all the hard work and we believe in you. All of Australia is behind you mate and go and let it rip. It’s time to have fun mate. Enjoy.”

Olympic legend calls it quits

American snowboard legend Shaun White has revealed that these Olympics would be his final Games as the 35-year-old chases his fourth half-pipe gold medal.

With Aussie Scotty James set to be one of the big guns to spoil the party for White, it’ll be hard to bet against the legendary American.

I mean, he’s literally the Shane Warne or Tony Hawke of his sport with Shaun White Snowboarding the video game of the sport.

But he will retire from the sport after these games as he defends his 2018 PyeongChang title, revealing he had been getting “little signs” from his 35-year-old body.

The three-time half-pipe champion said he intends to “squeeze every bit of fun and excitement” out of his fifth and final Games before bringing the curtain down on his storied career.

“In my mind, I think I’ve decided this will be the last competition,” he said.

“It’s this now, it’s that now — it’s all these little things adding up that’s taking away from days of practice that I would normally have.”

Heartbreaking interview ruins Australia

2018 Winter Olympic moguls silver medallist Matt Graham has said he “felt a little bit embarrassed” after missing out on the 2022 Olympic finals.

The 27-year-old from NSW’s Central Coast came into the Olympics with the worst possible lead in when he broke his collarbone in December during a World Cup event in Sweden.

Remarkably, he was training just weeks later, desperate to not miss his third Olympic Games.

Graham was one of the stories of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics when he claimed the silver medal, one of only three medals alongside Jarryd Hughes’ snowboard cross silver and Scotty James’ snowboard half-pipe bronze.

But his dream of a shock comeback from the brutal injury has fallen apart in Beijing as he missed out on qualification for the finals.

At the bottom of the mountain, he looked distraught before getting the score for his final run.

Speaking to Channel 7 afterwards, Graham couldn’t hide his emotions.

“It’s tough to describe,” he began. “This hurts a hell of a lot more than the collarbone did, I’m not going to lie. Put in so much work over the last however many years.”

Graham said the collarbone didn’t hold him back

“With my entry, how I was skiing here, I had a lot to give tonight,” he said. “Obviously not doing well a couple of nights a go put a bit more pressure on tonight but I felt like I was handling it really well.

“And then just kind of missed the takeoff on the top jump, landed a little left. It is tough conditions out here, it’s quite windy. I felt like I got bit of a tailwind which really accelerates you and then a couple of bad turns, that was it. I don’t really know what to say.”

His sister Eliza Graham is the team’s physio and he said she gave him a big hug at the bottom of the mountain.

But so raw in his emotions, he said “I wish I could’ve done better than this.”

Originally published as Winter Olympics 2022: Jakara Anthony wins gold in women’s moguls