All the updates as Jakara Anthony jumps for gold at Beijing Winter Olympics
Since she first strapped on her skis as a young child, Jakara Anthony’s parents say she’s possessed a drive and determination that could soon propel her to the Olympic podium.
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Barwon Heads Winter Olympic Games medal hopeful Jakara Anthony was always destined for greatness.
The 23-year-old started skiing as a small child and possessed a natural competitiveness and determination that stood out to her parents Sue and Daryn.
They hope that same fierceness will propel her onto the Olympic podium when she competes for Australia in the mogul skiing at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games on Sunday.
“Jakara was determined in whatever she did,” Sue said from her Barwon Heads home.
“If it was swimming, if it was tennis, if it was anything at the school athletics.
“No matter what, she was always determined to do her best and try to win.”
Sue and Daryn were recreational skiers, but by the time they had Jakara and son Matt, 22, their love for the snow was so strong that they opted to live part time at Mt Buller.
The Anthony family would be at Mt Buller for six months of the year and Jakara did half a year of schooling at the mountain every year, until year 12. She would spend the other half of the year at Christian College Geelong.
Jakara was introduced to mogul skiing at Mount Buller primary school where she first competed in the event at inter-school sports.
She tried the more conventional sports of cross country skiing and snowboarding, but was always drawn to the exhilarating moguls.
When Jakara was in her early teens her talent shone through and she started competing internationally.
“I think she always thought she could (be an Olympian), but she’s quite a humble person,” Sue said.
“She would’ve had those dreams herself but it’s not something that she would say out loud.”
Sue said her daughter’s competitive spirit continued to grow and said the family provided her the avenue to travel overseas and follow her dreams.
“She always had it,” Sue said.
“She was always determined to do it and was always hard on herself.
“That was the hardest thing – that she was such a perfectionist. She has had to really learn to develop those skills and to manage that side of things.”
When Jakara was in year nine, her skiing hit the next level.
The then-15-year-old moved to Europe and lived in Switzerland, where she has lived for four months every year since.
When back in Australia, Jakara would spend most her time doing water jump training in Lilydale and Brisbane, leaving it challenging for her to return to Barwon Heads.
Sue said the family would travel regularly to ensure they could spend quality time with Jakara when she wasn’t training.
“As she got older and she would travel with the team, we would always try and go and see her at some point, just to have that family time if she couldn’t come,” Sue said.
In 2018, the family travelled to cheer Jakara on in her first ever Olympic Winter Games in PyeiongChang.
She was Australia’s highest placed female mogul skier, narrowly missing the podium in fourth place.
But the coronavirus pandemic – now in its third year – has made international travel far more challenging and the Anthony family are unable to travel to China to watch Jakara.
Sue, who last saw her daughter in France at Christmas time, said the team had been training in Europe for a long period of time.
She said trying to remain Covid free had been very stressful but praised Jakara’s coaches Peter McNiel and Kate Blamey for their ongoing support.
“They’ve been in Finland for a long, long period of time. It’s dark all the time but it’s been a safe environment for them,” Sue said.
“There’s the stress that you get Covid and can’t train and can’t compete and how does that determine dreams and (determine if) you can get to China.
“The Australian team has done it really well, they’ve been really conscious and the whole team has stuck together and done what they’ve needed to.
“It’s been extremely stressful. It’s just a constant drain on their mind.”
Sue said watching her daughter perform extremely challenging tricks like the Cork 720 mute – a full flip with two rotations and a grab of her skis in mid-air – was “terrifying”.
“It’s terrifying, that’s the first and foremost (importance) that they get down safe, but their coaches are really risk adverse and it’s really years of training,” she said.
“It’s the little steps and all the time spent to put yourself in that safe environment.”
She said it would be a very different experience watching Jakara compete from home, surrounded by those who had been there throughout her journey.
‘STOKED’ JAKARA IN POLE POSITION TO JUMP FOR GOLD
BARWON HEADS skier Jakara Anthony could not be better placed to jump for gold on Sunday night after she was “stoked” to dominate her first round of qualification.
The in-form mogul skier had no trouble adjusting to the bright lights of the Beijing Winter Olympics when she cruised through qualifying on Thursday night with a score of 83.75 to finish on top of the group.
The result sent the 23-year-old straight through to Sunday night’s finals.
Anthony will have to contend with French rival Perrine Laffont in the finals, after the defending Olympic champion finished in second on Thursday with a score of 81.11, while fellow Aussie Britt Cox also qualified for the finals by finishing in ninth.
Anthony’s run was so clean, her score of 83.75 would have won gold four years ago in PyeongChang, where she finished fourth as a teenager.
Each of the 20 competitors who failed to advance directly to the first round of finals will get a second chance on Sunday night with 10 more going through to the evening finals.
From there, the field will be reduced to 12 then again to the last six for the final run that will decide the medals.
The finals begin at 10.30pm on Sunday, with the final run to begin at 11.40pm.
Having breezed through practice runs this week, Anthony said she was stoked to perform in the qualifying, while her family and friends tuned in from Australia at a watch party.
“I was so excited to finally get to compete under the lights. It’s been a big four year build up and the last week’s been crazy with a lot of training days, a lot more than normal so stoked to finally get to ski it,” Anthony told Channel 7.
“It’s really great to have so many people behind us and supporting me and the whole mogul team. We really do appreciate it.
“I was pretty stoked with the run. There were definitely bits that I trained a lot better.
“Ideally I’ll clean out that ski out a little bit and work my sides out on the top air but I’m so happy with that as a starting position, it’s a great position to be in going into a finals in a couple of days with room to improve.”
Australia’s Sophie Ash, on her Olympic debut, finished 13th, but Taylah O’Neill, who recently tore her ACL, did not complete her run.
In the men’s competition, Australian silver medallist from PyeongChang, Matt Graham did not finish the course but will get a second shot at the final on Saturday.
Graham, Brodie Summers, Cooper Woods and James Matheson will need to finish in the top 10 in second qualification to advance.
– Julian Lindon, Josh Barnes
JAKARA’S OLD SCHOOL GETS BEHIND SKI STAR
Christian College Geelong students will be cheering for mogul skier Jakara Anthony when she takes to the slopes at the Beijing Winter Olympics on Thursday.
The 23-year-old, who is one of Australia’s top medal prospects, is from Barwon Heads and graduated from the college in 2016.
Ms Anthony is expected to showcase a new trick, called the Cork 720 mute, as she attempts get onto the podium in China.
Principal Glen McKeeman said the school community was behind the former pupil.
“Jakara has worked incredibly hard and sacrificed much on her journey to prepare for the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing,” Mr McKeeman said.
“Her outstanding podium results in the lead up events to the Games are testimony to her dedication, skill and talent, seeing her well positioned for her next big challenge at the Olympic Games.”
Mr McKeeman said the school community was “incredibly proud” of her achievements in freestyle moguls skiing, but also of the “humility and grace” Ms Anthony displays in competition and in her everyday life.
“Jakara is a wonderful role model and a fine example of an athlete who has been able to achieve a balance between competing in high level sport and continuing her education at university.”
“Jakara is already a success in the eyes of the Christian College community, regardless of her results at the upcoming Winter Olympic Games.
“We will, however, be cheering her on and sending our best wishes as she represents Australia and offers her best performances as the Games unfold.”
Ms Anthony’s Olympic campaign kicks off on Thursday at 9pm.
Beijing heat no stress for ice cool Jakara
All of Jakara Anthony’s hard work over the past four years will be tested on the Olympic stage for the first time on Thursday night, as her mogul ski competition begins.
The Barwon Heads medal hopeful finished fourth in PyeongChang four years ago and has taken major strides forward before Beijing, having become a dominant force on the ski World Cup circuit.
The women’s mogul competition will begin at 9pm on Thursday with a qualifying round, in which the top 10 of 30 competitors will move through to the Sunday night’s finals.
Should Anthony fall at the first hurdle on Thursday night, she will get another chance through a second qualifying round on Sunday before the finals kick off.
As one of Australia’s brightest medal chances in Beijing, Anthony will have the eyes of the nation on her, but she said she is not feeling the pressure.
“I am not feeling a burden of extra expectation at all,” she said.
“The success I’ve had this season is a testament to all the processes I’ve put in place and the training I’ve done prior to getting here to give myself the best opportunity possible to compete and that’s the work I’ve been doing in the gym, in the mental space – all setting me up to succeed.
“The outcome, the actual result, is something that is completely out of my control. All that I can focus on is what I do each run.”
Anthony had a run through on the moguls course this week and described it as “impeccable”, with the jumps on course allowing her to “get up to my full degree of difficulty”.
Having developed into a superior skier since her last Olympic outing, 23-year-old Anthony said she was ready to show that improvement on the biggest stage.
“Four years has passed (since PyeongChang) and what’s going to make the difference now is all the work I have done in that past four years,” she said.
“I really believe, especially over the last year, I’ve done everything in my control to put myself into the best position possible.”
Originally published as All the updates as Jakara Anthony jumps for gold at Beijing Winter Olympics
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