Young American Shocks Moguls World with Olympic Gold

Elizabeth Lemley turned the freestyle skiing world upside down in Livigno. The 20-year-old American stunned defending champion Jakara Anthony to claim Olympic gold in her debut.

The Upset Nobody Saw Coming

Elizabeth Lemley upset Australia’s Jakara Anthony to take Olympic gold in women’s moguls on Wednesday in Livigno, Italy. The 20-year-old from Colorado wasn’t even on most people’s radar. The story was therefore Lemley rising to the occasion, the 20-year-old from Colorado – a two-time champion at the 2024 Youth Olympics Games – now a gold medallist on her senior Olympic debut. This is the first U.S. 1-2 finish in a women’s freestyle skiing event in Olympic history.

When the Favorite Faltered

Lemley, the 2022 junior world champion, put down a stunning 82.30 which Kauf could not match, and then it was all eyes on Anthony as the last athlete out. The Australian had made a solid start down the slope, but she lost control after the first jump to see her hopes of a title defence fade in a flash. Anthony had dominated the sport for years. She won gold in Beijing four years ago and looked unstoppable in qualifying. But sometimes the mountain decides differently. A failure to control her speed coming through the middle of the course caused her to spin out as she turned her skis.

The Prodigy’s Perfect Run

She’s always been a bit of a prodigy, winning her first World Cup event at age 16 and the Youth Olympic Games gold in 2024. But Olympic debuts are different beasts entirely. Second in qualifying and fourth in the first portion of the moguls final, when it all came down to one final run, Lemley put down perhaps the best 25.81 seconds of her skiing life. Lemley is known for her dynamic turns, having bested Anthony on turn scores in the past. The 20-year-old’s technique and smooth navigation of the course propelled her to a massive score of 82.30.

Kauf’s Silver Lining

Jaelin Kauf (USA) claimed silver, matching her silver medal in Beijing four years ago. The 29-year-old from Wyoming had a rocky start to the competition. The 29-year-old overcame a stumble that left her in 24th place in the first round of qualification, forcing her to re-evaluate ahead of Wednesday’s final. She finished second in the second round of qualification before flying to second behind Anthony in the final. Both of Kauf’s parents were professional mogul skiers. “My mom has always been my biggest hero and role model, just watching how she’s just gone at life and done what she’s done, pushing the boundaries,” she told CBS News ahead of the Games.

The Quiet Champion

Understand that this qualifies as a pretty bold statement for Lemley, a soft-spoken 20-year old who keeps her cards close to the vest and her emotions in check. On Wednesday, moments after stunning the world with a gold-medal winning run in women’s moguls, it was hard to tell whether Lemley had just fulfilled a lifelong dream or was getting ready for an early dinner. “It hasn’t quite hit yet, but I’m sure it will,” Lemley said. “I’m already so happy and so proud of myself. There were no expectations, but I certainly wanted to win. I certainly came in just preparing myself to be in that mindset to win.” Her father was supposed to arrive this weekend but was too nervous to watch. He missed quite a show.