Anthony wins World Cup gold ahead of Olympics

BARWON HEADS skier Jakara Anthony has launched her Winter Olympics campaign in fine fashion, winning a gold medal at the FIS World Cup in Ruka, Finland.

After missing most of last year due to a collarbone injury, Anthony took out the women’s mogul event to show that she is ready to go for Milano Cortina in February 2026.

In her triumphant return to competing in the World Cup, the 27-year-old came second in the first round of finals with 78.54 points, but found a boost in the super-final medal round to score 79.89 and secure her 24th career World Cup victory.

Anthony was pleased with her performance, particularly given how little she had skied in the past 12 months.

“It’s probably nearly a year to the day of getting injured,” she said.

“I’ve been out since then, so this is a pretty special one.”

The victory becomes even sweeter for Anthony given she had finished the day earlier in sixth place and didn’t complete her run in the super-final.

“Yesterday was a bummer – just didn’t quite nail that last one,” she said.

“[I] took a few learnings about how the course developed.

“[It’s] been a while since I skied a comp, so I had to remember that, and make those adjustments.”

Anthony won gold alongside fellow Australian Matt Graham, who took out the men’s mogul event title.

“To get a double gold with Jakara – it’s massive,” he said.

“We’re not a skiing nation. We’re a beach nation, so how the hell does this happen?”

Anthony will return home to Barwon Heads for Christmas before her training ramps up for February’s Olympics Games.