Elizabeth Lemley claims first career World Cup dual moguls win in Idre Fjall, Sweden
16-year-old takes down Olympic champion to earn win in 10th-career World Cup start
Nisse Schmidt/AP photo
When then 15-year-old Elizabeth Lemley burst onto the scene last January with a fourth-place finish in her World Cup debut in Tremblant, U.S. mogul insiders knew to keep an eye out for the Ski & Snowboard Club Vail star. On Sunday, she took the step those fans all knew was coming, claiming her first career World Cup win in the Idre Fjall, Sweden, dual moguls competition.
“She kept throwing good punches and ended up on top of the podium!” U.S. Ski and Snowboard head moguls coach Bryon Wilson told Courtney Harkins. “Liz’s consistency was impressive and it was a great day.”
Lemley took down Anri Kawamura 25-10 in the super final after defeating Olympic champion Jakara Anthony 20-15 in the semifinal. Perrine Laffont of France rounded out the podium by beating Anthony in the small finals.
“It feels awesome,” Lemley said about her win, which came in just her 10th-career World Cup start. “Early morning, but it was great to get out here and get the legs moving. I was just so stoked.”
The 2022 FIS rookie of the year, Lemley concluded last season with a World Junior championship. She kicked off this year with a seventh in Ruka, Finland, and was fifth in Saturday’s individual moguls in Idre Fjall. The 16-year-old has been on the brink of the podium for roughly a year, having four career top-five finishes going into Sunday.
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The rest of the Americans performed well, too, with Jaelin Kauf placing sixth, Olivia Giaccio in ninth, Tess Johnson in 11th, Hannah Soar in 12th, Alli Macuga in 13th and Kasey Hogg finishing 18th. On the boys’ side, Nick Page won Saturday’s individual World Cup — becoming the first U.S. male to win a World Cup in six years — and finished third on Sunday. SSCV alumna Dylan Walczyk finished seventh in the dual moguls event a day after placing ninth; he was seventh in Ruka to open the season.
“Today was really fun — it felt great to back up yesterday’s win with another strong result on the podium,” Page told Harkins. “There’s something really special about competing in Sweden. From my first World Cup podium back in 2020, to my first win yesterday, and now my first dual moguls podium — I love it here. The energy, the kindness of the people here, and the great event they put on makes it high up on my list to come to every year.”
Nisse Schmidt/AP photo
“It’s awesome that the U.S. is coming up, especially the boys and thanks to all our coaches out there. Really appreciate it,” Lemley added. Lemley is now ranked fourth in the overall moguls/dual moguls cup standings and leads the dual moguls standings. The World Cup travels to Alpe d’Huez for dual moguls and moguls Dec. 15-17.
