The Australian freestyle skier Jakara Anthony has made history as the most successful World Cup skier from Australia. On January 16, 2026, Anthony won her 26th moguls title, the first served in Waterville Valley (United States) setting a new national record.
Victorian 27-year-old, in securing his latest win has overtaken the great aerialist and ski-cross world record holder Jacqui Cooper’s haul of 25 World Cup victories that had remained unbeaten for over a decade. Anthony’s victory is particularly meaningful with less than a month before she heads to Italy to defend her Olympic title at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games.
A Terrific Showing in Difficult Conditions
It was far from an easy competition at Waterville Valley. Organisers delayed the event 24 hours because of bad weather, so instead of analysing and working to contain the backlash, skiers also had to confront bony and difficult snow. With the heat on Anthony was the only girl to score above 80, and earned a solid 81.17 for her efforts – over seven points clear of her nearest rival.
Her winning run was a clinic in speed and skill. She managed to execute a “cork seven” (a difficult off-axis spin) and a backflip with a grab of her ski, hurtling through the moguls. The Australian champion’s closest rivals, Americans Elizabeth Lemley and Olivia Giaccio, took second and third while still being more than 20 points behind.
Sent to lead the way to the Olympics
Jakara Anthony’s success sets a new World Cup record and it is her third this season. She’s bounced back amazingly after breaking her collarbone and having an early end to a season last summer. Now in the yellow bib,indicating the world No. 1-ranked skier, she heads toward next month’s Winter Olympics as the clear favorite.
The Australians, as a whole, had mixed results. Victorian Charlotte Wilson was 13th in the women. In the men’s competition, Matt Graham, who was also atop the world rankings, wound up in 16th place after encountering difficulty on the icy run. The men’s gold belonged to Japan’s Ikuma Horishima.
Anthony called the victory “super special” and said it was a relief to finally put down clean runs after a month of flukey weather and trying travel. Now she will spend the week before the Olympics resting from that World Cup circuit as she prepares to compete at Beijing, starting on Feb. 6.
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