Australian Olympic champion Jakara Anthony has kept her stunning Games record alive, making it five rounds of competition unbeaten after she topped moguls qualifying in Livigno.
Four years ago, Anthony also opened with a bang in qualifying and then swept through the next three rounds en route to Australia’s first women’s moguls gold medal.
The 27-year-old joined her fellow opening ceremony flagbearer Matt Graham as the two Australian skiers to bypass the next qualification round, with the 2018 silver medallist grabbing the 10th and final spot in the men’s event earlier on Tuesday.
With 30 skiers starting the event, the top-10 avoid round two, with the top-10 from that round joining up in the first final.
The field is then whittled down, although in a change from Beijing when skiers could ski five times, there are only two finals, with eight skiers competing in the medal round, up from six in 2022.
Anthony was satisfied with her performance, saying she did what she needed to do.
Americans Elizabeth Lemley and Olivia Giaccio were next best followed by French 2018 Olympic champion Perrine Laffont.
“I felt like it was what I needed to put down for qualifications, it felt pretty tidy and that’s what we came out here to do today,” said Anthony.
“My goal was just that I wanted to get through in qualification one so that I just have the chance to come out for finals tomorrow and I don’t need to worry about qualification two. So, yeah, happy.”
Graham felt he had “a lot of room to improve” with the four-time Olympian disappointed with his run given his ranking of world No.2.
The Livigno flagbearer scored 75.77 and out of the starting gate 15th, had a nervous wait before locking down a finals berth.
Japan’s Ikuma Hiroshima topped qualifying with a score of 85.43 while Canada’s Julien Viel surprisingly pipped teammate and all-time great, Mikael Kingsbury, for second spot.
“I just got a little bit out of time and out of rhythm in the middle section and then a little bit hung up on the last turn into the bottom air, so look, not my finest and a lot of room to improve,” the 31-year-old said.
“The moguls are a little catchy, so you’ve really just got to be in time and in sync with the bumps, but yeah, unfortunately I just made a few mistakes.”
While he would have liked to have performed better it was still a sweet result for Graham, who bowed out in heartbreaking fashion in qualifying at Beijing, skiing with a broken collarbone.
Coming in 15th, Cooper Woods was marked down for his air in an otherwise impressive run, while Jackson Harvey was 23rd and George Murphy 26th.
Behind Anthony in the women’s event, Charlotte Wilson lost her footing near the top of the course and placed 28th, one spot behind 2022 silver medallist Jaelin Kauff, with the American also stumbling.
Fellow debutant Emma Bosco was 17th.
It was an emotional debut for Colorado-born Harvey, who spent 14 months off the snow with a knee injury.
A dual citizen, he decided to relocate four years ago to ski for the country of his mother, who grew up in Melbourne.
“It feels really good to be able to call myself an Olympian finally,” the 23-year-old said.
“It means a lot, it’s been a journey and something I’ve dreamed of for a long time.
“The tough times and tribulations, that just makes all the more sweeter.
“It’s the proudest moment of my life so far.”
Woods, who finished sixth four years ago, said he’d embrace the pressure of the sudden-death second round.
“It puts a bit more pressure on for the next qualifications but I enjoy more pressure, pressure makes diamonds, so excited for the next,” the 25-year-old said.
