JAKARA PIPPED FOR WIN IN CUP
LOCAL freestyle mogul skier Jakara Anthony has fallen short of claiming a World Cup gold in a tight final at her favourite course.
The Barwon Heads athlete, who shot to international attention when she finished fourth at the 2018 Winter Olympics, qualified first for finals and was ranked first after the first run of finals.
But Anthony was pipped by France's Perrine Laffont and finished second at Deer Valley in Utah in the US yesterday.
Competing last in the super final, Anthony matched Laffont with the judges for her turns and air but crossed the line slower than the French star.
Anthony finished with a score of 78.49, close behind Laffont’s 79.33.
It was the French world No.1’s sixth-straight victory on the International Ski Federation World Cup tour.
Anthony, 21, finished second at the Utah night event, her first podium of the season.
“I am pretty happy with how I skied,” she said.
“I managed to get lots of the finicky little bits and pieces that I have been trying to hone in on the last couple of days, especially in the first final run, I managed to get it all together and put down a few high quality runs when it mattered most.
“I had some really close calls this season, so to finally be back on the box is a great feeling, knowing that I am doing the right stuff and working towards where I want to be.”
After finishing third in the mogul tour last year, 2018 Olympian Anthony now sits in second place behind Laffont.
The next event on tour is on February 15 in Tbilisi, Georgia.