Australia’s Jakara Anthony topped Run 1 of the women’s moguls qualifiers at the Milano Cortina 2026, finishing first with 81.65 points as qualification rounds concluded on Tuesday, 10 February 2026. The opening run of the qualifiers delivered tight margins across the top contenders, setting up a competitive battle for advancement to the finals.
The moguls discipline, combining speed, technical turns, and aerial execution, once again showcased the depth of international talent in Olympic freestyle skiing.
Anthony Sets the Benchmark in Run 1
Jakara Anthony delivered a composed and technically sharp performance, earning 81.65 points to lead the standings. Her run featured clean landings on both aerial jumps and strong absorption technique through the moguls, maintaining rhythm and speed down the course.
Close behind was American skier Elizabeth Lemley, who scored 80.95 to finish second. Fellow American Olivia Giaccio placed third with 80.74, ensuring the United States had two athletes inside the top three after the opening run.
France’s Olympic champion Perrine Laffont placed fourth on 79.47, remaining firmly within contention heading into subsequent qualification rounds.
Strong Depth Across Leading Nations
Japan’s Hinako Tomitaka finished fifth with 75.28, while Canada’s Maia Schwinghammer secured sixth with 74.90. Japan continued to show consistency through Himari Nakao, who placed seventh.
Canada’s depth was further reflected by Laurence Desmarais-Gilbert in eighth, while the United States’ Tess Johnson placed ninth.
France’s Chloé Cabrol completed the top ten with a score of 73.07, maintaining France’s strong presence near the top of the leaderboard.
Mid-Field and Qualification Battle
Austria’s Avital Carroll and Kazakhstan’s Anastassiya Gorodko placed 11th and 12th respectively, with both skiers remaining in the qualification mix.
Kazakhstan’s experienced competitor Yuliya Galysheva finished 14th, while Canada’s Juliette Linton placed 15th.
Further down the standings, Australia’s Emerson Bosco and Great Britain’s Makayla Gerken Schofield completed the top 18.
Italy’s Marina Passaretta was listed as DNS (Did Not Start) for Run 1.
Technical Demands of the Course
The Olympic moguls course required athletes to combine fast, controlled turns with two aerial tricks, judged on difficulty and execution. Scoring incorporated turn quality, air performance, and speed, meaning even small errors impacted rankings significantly.
Run 1 margins were narrow among the top athletes, underlining the competitive balance heading into the next qualification stage.
Looking Ahead
With Jakara Anthony leading after the opening qualification run, the women’s moguls competition at the Winter Olympics 2026 moved into its decisive phase. The tight scoring among the top ten ensured that upcoming runs would determine final placements and progression to the medal rounds, setting up an intense continuation of the moguls programme at Milano Cortina.