American Elizabeth Lemley Wins Moguls Gold as Defending Champion Finishes Last

American freestyle skier Elizabeth Lemley secured the gold medal in women's moguls on Wednesday, ending Australian Jakara Anthony's bid to become the first Australian to defend a Winter Games title. Lemley recorded a score of 82.30 in the superfinal at the Livigno Aerials & Moguls Park, marking her first global title. Her teammate Jaelin Kauf earned the silver medal with a score of 80.77, her second consecutive Olympic silver in this discipline.

Defending champion Jakara Anthony, who had dominated the event for four years, led the field after the first final run with a score of 83.96. However, during her second run, Anthony lost control in the middle section of the moguls and finished eighth and last. France's Perrine Laffont, the 2018 champion, clinched the bronze medal with 78 points, winning a tie-break against Japan's Hinako Tomitaka based on a higher score for turns.

Lemley, a 20-year-old from Colorado, delivered two clean runs under sunny conditions in the Alpine town of Livigno. During the medal ceremony, the gold medal fell apart as Lemley was celebrating on the podium. Anthony expressed disappointment following the event, stating she "definitely had what it took" but acknowledged it was not her day. Earlier in the day, fellow American Ryan Cochran-Siegle won a silver medal in the men's super-G.