Jakara Anthony: You never win alone
As the Beijing 2022 champion prepares to snag her first dual moguls title at the World Cup season wrap-up in Megeve, she told Olympics.com how her successes wouldn’t have been possible without the support of her team.
Freestyle Skiing
Fresh from making history at Beijing 2022 freestyle mogul skier Jakara Anthony stands on the precipice of even more greatness.
The 23-year-old had her country jumping for joy after she claimed Australia’s first ever Olympic gold in the event back in February.
In a display of total dominance Anthony led the way through qualification, never once letting her grip slip on the top spot. Speaking to Olympics.com in an exclusive interview she hesitated to call her super final run "flawless" but admitted “it was pretty close.”
The Australian appears to have packed that winning momentum with her all the way to the mountains of Italy as she emerged triumphant at the “Dosso” course in Valmalenco last Saturday (March 12).
Her victory over perennial rival Perrine Laffont in the dual mogul World Cup event puts Anthony in a prime position to claim her first Crystal Globe World Cup title at this weekend’s meet in Megeve, France where there will be a mogul event on March 18 and dual moguls on March 19.
She currently sits atop of the World Cup standings for dual moguls and overall moguls, and is just 44 points off the top position in third in the single moguls discipline.
Should things go her way Anthony could win all three Crystal Globe titles capping what has been a stunning 2021/2022 season.
Jakara Anthony: “This medal is something I can share with them”
Though Anthony is set to add even more silverware to her trophy cabinet, few would deny that already she has had a season to remember.
From nine podium finishes out of a possible 10 so far on the World Cup tour to her Olympic gold medal in China, the Australian has been formidable from the word 'go'.
But the skier revealed to Olympics.com that for everything she has achieved she could not have done it alone.
Though by no means disappointed by her fourth-place finish at PyeongChang 2018 the mogul star admitted that this time, the wait between qualifications and finals were “tough.”
When she did finally get out on the snow, she found a sense of confidence:
“Finally getting out to ski in the finals training I was like, ‘We’re on here, I can do this,’” explained Anthony. “I was able to execute to the best of my ability and able to get myself in a position to let myself do what I was capable of.”
That certainty, and ability to unlock her potential, is something Anthony credits to those around who have backed her throughout her journey over the last few years:
“That’s something that I’ve been working really hard towards – being able to achieve. Because it’s tough to not limit yourself; it’s really tough. And it’s been a hard skill to learn, but I’m so happy to have had the support to be able to learn that skill and really let it show when it counts.”
Thanking the team behind the medal
Getting to reap the reward of that hard work and enjoy it with others is also something the Australian relished doing at the Genting Snow Park.
Though there were no fans in stands, her entourage and other members of the Team Australia contingent came out to cheer Anthony on, and the newly crowned Olympic champ was delighted with their support. Not only because they were there to witness it but because she felt each one of them made her achievement possible:
“It was so special to be able to get to share that with them because they’ve all been a massive part of the journey, and this medal is something that I can share with them.
"Through anyone's sporting career, there's a lot of highs and a lot of lows," continued the history-maker. "But the thing that gets you through them is the support network you have behind you. And [I'm] so fortunate in Australia, and particularly in the moguls team, to have such a great support network.
"The team, all my teammates, my coaches, sports psychologist, strength and conditioning coaches - like this just goes on and on. So many people behind the scenes just working to give you what you need - whether that's through the good times or the bad times, it is no matter what."
"They’ve been a huge, huge part of it and it’s not possible without them."
With the possibility to now add World Cup titles to her name Anthony will now be hoping that she can once more deliver for those that continue to back her every step of the way.