Jakara Anthony strikes gold, ending Australia’s 12-year dry spell at Winter Olympics

Olympic freestyle skier, Jakara Anthony, has made history earning Australia’s first Winter Olympic gold medal since the 2010 Vancouver Games. 

Anthony has become the sixth Australian to claim gold for the Winter Olympics after claiming a dominant victory in the women’s moguls in the Beijing Games. 

The 23-year old produced top scores in both the final-20 and final -12 events of the women’s moguls become coming out on top in the Super Final, snagging the gold medal. 

In the electrifying Super Final, Anthony scored 83.09 points, with American Jaelin Kauf (80.28) as second and Anastasiia Smirnova (77.72) from Russia placing third. 

After placing fourth on her Olympic debut four years ago in Pyeongchang, Anthony dominated the two-day competition.

“It’s really incredible to know that all the hard work that I have been putting into my whole skiing career is really paying off,” Anthony tells 9News after winning gold.

In a separate interview with Channel 7, Anthony said “[Being able to handle the pressure] is a real testament to myself and the team around me in the last four years and the really solid processes we follow. It really hasn’t been easy. I think that I am a much better athlete and person because of it.”

The Australian Olympian’s win marks the first time in Winter Olympic history that Australia has won more than one medal on a single day after Tess Coady nabbed bronze during the women’s snowboarding slopestyle earlier on Sunday. 

Until Anthony’s win, Australia’s most recent Winter Olympic winners were Torah Bright for snowboard halfpipe and Lydia Lassila for women’s aerials, both from the 2010 Vancouver Games.