Jakara reaches for historic heights

JAKARA Anthony wants to re-write the rules on what is possible for women’s mogul skiing after a record-breaking season that crowned her as the undisputed queen of her sport.

The Barwon Heads athlete has finished an incredible northern winter that was the most successful ever by an Australian, culminating in her first World Cup title last month.

The crystal globe win came just weeks after the 23-year-old ended a 12-year Australian drought for Winter Olympic gold when she won the country’s first ever women’s moguls title.

But Anthony isn’t content to sit on top of the mountain.

She said her next aim was to take her sport to new heights, by re-imagining women’s mogul skiers and to inspire a new generation of Australian athletes.

“I’ve got big goals to keep moving forward with my jumping, my skiing, my fitness, my mental capacity, everything that we’re doing,” Anthony said.

“I’ve got a lot of personal goals that aren’t necessarily tied to results. I’ve got things I want to continue working on, like pushing the sport.

“I think Australians becoming more conscious of winter sport will come as a result of that. But it’s about pushing the capacity of what women can do in mogul skiing, so you can show others you don’t need to put a ceiling on what you can achieve.”

Anthony’s astonishing season saw her claim 12 medals during the International Ski Federation World Cup tour, which ended last month.

A pair of silvers at the season-ending event at Megeve, France, meant Anthony’s haul was the largest ever in a single season for an Australian, taking her past aerialist Alisa Camplin and fellow moguls skier Britt Cox – the woman Anthony said inspired her to chase an Olympic dream.

The newly crowned world champion is already back in the gym training for her championship defence, and will spend time on Australian snow and at Brisbane’s Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre before returning to international competition in December.

Anthony was in Torquay last week to visit her long-time supporter and Australian Winter Olympic team apparel supplier Cross the Mountain (XTM), to unveil a local tribute to her stunning season.

XTM’s entry staircase includes a wall of honour for Australian Olympic medallists and World Cup champions, where Anthony now has her rightful place.

After coming perilously close in recent years, including a fourth-place finish at PyeongChang 2018 and second in the 2019 world championship Anthony earnt her plaque, which she welcomed alongside family and friends last Wednesday.

“It’s been a long time coming getting on the wall here. I’ve come close a few times but never quite done enough to get it. It’s a special reward to come on top of everything else,” she said.

“Every single one of those athletes on that wall are so inspiring, and I admire them and idolise them so much. So to be up there alongside them is unbelievable.”