LIVIGNO, Italy, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Australia's defending Olympic champion Jakara Anthony saw her title defense unravel with a costly error in the women's moguls Wednesday at Milan-Cortina 2026, opening the door for American newcomer Elizabeth Lemley to claim gold.
Anthony, the top qualifier and heavy favorite, had cruised into the medal round after posting 83.96 points in the first final. But under sunshine and mild conditions in Livigno, the 27-year-old lost control after her opening jump in the decisive run, drifted off line and finished only with 60.81.
"I'm pretty bummed, to be honest," Anthony said after the competition. "I definitely have what it took to be in the top spot. It's not quite the ending I was hoping for."
20-year-old Lemley delivered a stunning final to score 82.30 and secure the gold. Her teammate Jaelin Kauf followed with 80.77 to earn silver, matching her medal from Beijing 2022.
"I've had so much support my whole life and worked so hard this past year rehabbing my ACL," Lemley said. "To win it means so much."
France's Perrine Laffont took bronze, adding to her Olympic resume after finishing fourth at the Beijing Games.
Earlier in the day, China's Yang Ya and Li Ruilin finished among the bottom two in the second round of qualification and failed to advance to the final.
