[OLYMPICS] Moguls Qualifiers See Defending Olympic Champion Lead the Women's Field & Ikuma Horishima Dominate Men's - SnowBrains

"At the Olympics, the format sees the top 10 athletes advance straight to the final, while the remaining 20 athletes have another chance to qualify in the second qualification round. The course at Livigno, Italy, saw a packed crowd turn out to cheer on the 60 mogul athletes representing their respective countries. Americans and Australians were out in great numbers-not surprising considering the countries are have sent 15 athletes or 25% of the field between the two nations to the moguls competition."

"Leading the charge in the women's field was defending Olympic champion Jakara Anthony with a fast run and a cork 7 on the top air and a back-cross on the bottom air that scored her 81.65 points. She was closely followed by Americans Elizabeth Lemley (80.95 points) and Olivia Giaccio (80.74 points). 2025 World Champion Perrine Laffont from France was a close fourth."

"In the men's field, Ikuma Horishima from Japan led the field with 85.42 points after a signature fast run and two difficult jumps-a back-full on the top air and a cork 10 on the bottom air. No one else on the men's side scored in the 80s. Canadians Julien Viel and Mikaël Kingsbury qualified in second and third place, while French moguls legend Ben Cavet qualified in fourth."

Round one of the moguls qualifiers occurred in Livigno, Italy, with 60 athletes competing and packed spectator support. The Olympic format advanced the top 10 directly to the final while the remaining 20 athletes earned a second qualification opportunity. Jakara Anthony led the women's field with 81.65 points, followed by Elizabeth Lemley and Olivia Giaccio, with Perrine Laffont fourth. Team USA advanced three women in round one, while Jaelin Kauf and Charlotte Wilson underperformed and will attempt the second-round qualifier. Ikuma Horishima topped the men's field with 85.42 points, followed by Julien Viel, Mikaël Kingsbury and Ben Cavet.

Read at SnowBrains