Australia celebrate best-ever Winter Olympics after Anthony wins dual moguls / Photo: Jeff PACHOUD - AFP
Australia celebrate best-ever Winter Olympics after Anthony wins dual moguls
Freestyle skier Jakara Anthony said she hoped Australia would "reach new heights at every Games" after her gold medal in the dual moguls helped the country to its best-ever showing at a Winter Olympics.
Anthony made no mistake in Livigno on Saturday after blowing her chance for gold in the singles event earlier in the Games, when she finished off the podium.
The 27-year-old beat US world champion Jaelin Kauf in the women's dual moguls big final, with her American teammate, Elizabeth Lemley, taking bronze.
Since winning their first Winter Olympics medal at the 1994 Lillehammer Games, Australia have won at least one medal at every edition.
They won two golds and a silver in Vancouver in 2010 but have already bettered that in Italy, with three golds and a silver.
Men's freestyle skier Cooper Woods won the men's moguls, Josie Baff took gold in the women's snowboard cross and veteran snowboarder Scotty James won silver in the men's halfpipe.
"We've all been saying it's our strongest-ever Winter Olympic team and we've also proven that," said Anthony, who was one of Australia's flagbearers at the opening ceremony in Italy.
"This has been Australia's most successful Winter Olympic Games already and we still have a long way to go."
Anthony, who won the moguls gold in Beijing, said Australia, not previously known for their prowess in winter sports, were on the rise.
"I think there are a lot of things contributing to it," she said. "Despite popular belief, we have some great training facilities in Australia.
"I'm really excited to see all these young kids coming through. They've got all these opportunities that were nowhere near what I had coming through when I was a kid.
"What they're going to be able to do with that, I think we're just going to see Australia reach new heights at every Games now. I hope so, anyway."
(A.Mathebula--TPT)
