Vail mogul skier claims second Olympic medal as Americans put two on the inaugural dual moguls podium in Milan Cortina
Lindsey Wasson/AP photo
Jaelin Kauf claimed her third-career Olympic silver medal and Ski and Snowboard Club Vail alumna Liz Lemley backed up her individual gold with a bronze in the dual moguls on Saturday morning in Livigno.
Jakara Anthony bounced back from a disappointing individual event on Wednesday to claim gold, defeating Kauf in the big final in the first duals event in Olympic history.
“It was a real roller coaster today. The heartbreak the other day in singles was a pretty tough pill to swallow,” Anthony, the individual mogul gold medalist from four years ago, told FIS.
“This is actually only my second duals event in about two-and-a-half years because I was out injured all last season and missed a lot of dual events this season,” the Australian continued. “I was rolling with a lot of unknowns heading into this competition and we were able to work out a plan and follow that and roll with the punches a little bit, and we got it done.”
The U.S. put four athletes into the top-six, with Vail’s Tess Johnson and Steamboat Springs skier Olivia Giaccio placing fifth and sixth, respectively. Johnson — who won a silver medal in duals at the world championships last March — finished 0.62 seconds behind 2018 Olympic champion Perrine Laffont in the quarterfinal, ultimately falling by one point to the French star. Giaccio lost 20-15 to Anthony.
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Johnson said the warm, slow snow made for a tricky day.
“Especially on the bottom air,” she added. “So, you really had to take your momentum into the jump.”
Snow pummeled the Livigno Aerials and Moguls Park. Support staff planted pine needles along the 245-meter course to aid skiers in the flat-light, Olympics.com reported. In the first semifinal, Laffont — who picked up the bronze in Wednesday’s individual event — went off course at about the same time Kauf somersaulted backwards at the midway point. But the Steamboat Springs skier, seemingly unaware of Laffont’s fate, got right up to finish the run and claim victory.
“That was crazy,” Johnson said on the NBC broadcast when asked to comment on the dramatic semifinal. “That’s duals though, and that’s what makes it exciting and really anything can happen.”
In the second semifinal, Lemley under-rotated on the bottom air and crashed a few feet before the finish line, losing a ski in the process. Eventually, the Vail skier slowly rose to her feet and was able to return to defeat Laffont 18-17 in the small final.
“I was just going to approach it like any other run and just forget that I had an injury, and so I just skied it as if I wanted to get another medal,” Lemley told the media. The 20-year-old said she felt some soreness in her elbow but “was able to block it out and just focus on my skiing.”
“Luckily it wasn’t an injury that would have stopped me from skiing, so I just went back up there and skied it (the small final) like any other run. I think when you want it, then it’s no problem for you to get back up and go again,” Lemley told FIS after claiming her second medal of the Games. “It’s been pretty insane. I didn’t expect it. I wanted it, but I’m just super happy to put down runs I can be super proud of.”
In the final, both Kauf and Anthony went for cork 7s on the top air and backflips on the bottom, but Anthony crossed the line first to take the 20-15 win.
“I was really going for gold, but I guess ‘Silver Jae’ has a ring to it, so I’m living up to the name,” said Kauf, who captured a silver medal in the individual moguls event four years ago. The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club alumna was second to Lemley in Wednesday’s individual event as well.
“Duals has always been such a favorite event in the moguls skiing community, and so to have it on the Olympic stage, (you) can just feel the energy of the crowd,” Kauf continued. “People were loving it here today. I hope everyone watching on TV loved it as much as we did. It’s really cool.”
“We wanted to put on a good show today and I think that’s exactly what we did,” said Johnson, who also represented the U.S. at the 2018 Olympics.
“Today I’m so proud of myself. I was just one point away from the top-4 and I really laid it all out there,” the 25-year-old added. “I skied very well I think. I think I skied much better today than I did on singles so it’s all I can ask of myself and it’s just an honor to represent Team USA at two Olympics.”
The Olympic mogul slate wraps up on Sunday with the men’s dual moguls. Another SSCV alumni, Breckenridge native Dylan Walczyk, is set to compete for the U.S. beginning at 2:30 a.m. MST.
