Freestyle Skiing - 2025/26 Season Wrap

Australia’s freestyle skiing programs delivered another landmark season in 2025/26, highlighted by four Olympic medals across moguls and aerials which continues a streak of medals being won in either of the disciplines at every Games since 2002.

Moguls again led the way, with Jakara Anthony and Cooper Woods claiming Olympic gold, while Matt Graham added bronze to secure Australia’s most successful return in a single sport at any Winter Games.

In aerials, Danielle Scott produced a standout performance to claim silver, while the mixed team of Scott, Abbey Willcox and Reilly Flanagan finished just off the podium in fourth.

Moguls

Jakara Anthony entered Milano Cortina in strong form following three World Cup wins and looked on track to defend her Olympic moguls title after finishing first in qualifying and the first round of finals. A mistake in the super final saw her finish eighth, but she responded three days later to win gold in dual moguls, defeating the top two seeds in the semi-finals and big final.

The result saw the 27-year-old write yet another chapter in her ever-growing history, becoming the first Australian to win two Winter Olympic gold medals.

She also went on to secure the moguls Crystal Globe, finishing equal first on the World Cup standings with American Olivia Giaccio. Anthony claimed the title on countback with more wins across the season, taking her career tally to seven Crystal Globes, including three in moguls, two in dual moguls and two overall titles.

Cooper Woods produced a career-defining performance to claim Olympic gold in the Men’s Moguls, Australia’s first medal of the Games.

After missing out on the top 10 in the first round of qualifying, Woods topped the scores in the second run to secure a place in the finals. He then carried that world class form forward,  topping Final 1 before sharing the highest score in Final 2 with Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury. Woods’ superior score for turns was the tie-breaker which secured a historic victory.

Matt Graham collected his second Olympic medal with bronze in dual moguls, backing up his moguls silver from 2018. He also finished fifth in the individual event, narrowly missing the podium.

Graham also delivered a strong World Cup campaign, bookending the season with wins in Ruka and Nanto-Toyama to finish second in both the moguls and overall standings.

Charlotte Wilson impressed on Olympic debut, recovering from 28th in the opening qualifying round to top the second qualifier and progress through to the final, ultimately finishing sixth. Emma Bosco narrowly missed the moguls final before going on to defeat Wilson in the opening round of the dual moguls and finish 16th overall.

Jackson Harvey enjoyed a breakthrough season, finishing eighth on Olympic debut after progressing all the way to Final 2, while he also recorded his first World Cup top-10 results and a career-best 14th in the overall standings.

George Murphy competed at his first Olympic Games and recorded a notable dual moguls win over seventh seed Ben Cavet.

In the pathways, Kareema Wakim led the way at the Junior World Championships with two sixth-place finishes in moguls and dual moguls, Australia’s strongest result at the event since 2012. Xanthia Coote and Eliza Peake both progressed on the Nor-Am Cup circuit, with Coote claiming her maiden win and finishing sixth overall, while Peake secured her first podium and placed ninth overall.

Aerials

Danielle Scott led the Australian aerials team with a silver medal at Milano Cortina, becoming Australia’s fourth Olympic medallist in the discipline.

The 36-year-old returned to her most difficult jumps this season, contributing to two World Cup podiums - including her seventh career win - in the lead-up to the Games.

Scott was second in the opening round of qualifying to secure passage straight through to the final. She then laid down the highest-scoring jump of the women’s competition (117.19) in Final 1 to take her place in the top six. With the scores reset, Scott’s 102.17 was good enough to add Olympic silver to her four World Championships medals, claiming Australia’s final podium of Milano Cortina 2026.

Joined by Abbey Willcox and Reilly Flanagan, Scott then spearheaded the mixed team, earning the highest women’s score of the Games (120.20) to help Australia qualify for Final 2 and an eventual fourth place finish.

Willcox had earlier finished 10th on Olympic debut, while Airleigh Frigo placed 22nd after a season which included four top-10 World Cup results.

Laura Peel was ruled out of the Games just prior to competition after suffering an ACL injury, dashing her Olympic medal hopes amidst strong form and her status as reigning Crystal Globe champion.

Sidney Stephens stepped into the team following Peel’s injury, competing in her first Olympic Games after a season highlighted by a career-best 11th-place World Cup finish.

Flanagan, Australia’s sole male aerialist at the Games, finished 20th in the individual event before contributing to the team event’s close run at the podium. He also scored a pair of top 20 results in the lead up to the Games, with his only higher World Cup result coming at last year’s Olympic Test Event.

At the development level, Sara Butko produced a short but eye-catching European Cup campaign, winning in Ruka after finishing fourth on debut, placing fourth overall for the season. Miriana Perkins recorded three top-10 finishes including her first podium, while Sara Francis also impressed with two top-eight results as she competed internationally for the first time.