LIVIGNO, Italy – In a stunning upset at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, 20-year-old Elizabeth Lemley of the United States claimed gold in women’s moguls skiing on Wednesday, defeating reigning Olympic champion and World Cup leader Jakara Anthony of Australia.
Lemley’s victory was unexpected, particularly given the pre-Games focus on Anthony’s bid to turn into the first woman to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in the event. Anthony faltered during the superfinal, opening the door for Lemley to secure her first Olympic title in her debut Games appearance. The American is the third U.S. Woman to win Olympic gold in women’s moguls, joining Donna Weinbrecht (1992) and Hannah Kearney (2010).
“I reckon it’s just an incredible moment for not only myself, but everybody around me who has supported me and has been with me every step of my journey,” Lemley said, according to U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “It feels amazing to share that with them after all of our hard work.”
Lemley’s path to the podium was remarkable, coming after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear prematurely ended her previous season. Her triumph marks a rare instance of an athlete overcoming such a significant injury to win Olympic gold in the subsequent Games. The Games have seen a number of athletes return from injury to claim medals, including Italian Alpine skier Federica Brignone, who won gold in women’s super-G just ten months after a severe leg fracture, and Canadian moguls skier Mikael Kingsbury, who secured silver despite a groin injury earlier this season.
“This whole season, especially after coming back from injury, the whole focus was progression and to slowly just progress to my very best, which would be here,” Lemley stated. “I think I nailed that perfectly.”
Adding to the American success, Jaelin Kauf secured the silver medal, mirroring her performance at the 2022 Winter Olympics. The result marked the first-ever 1-2 finish for the United States in a women’s Olympic freestyle skiing event. Kauf’s place in the final was not assured, as a stumble during the first run of qualifications left her in 24th position.
Lemley, who spends part of her time training in Park City, Utah, delivered a stellar run in the superfinal, capitalizing on Anthony’s mistake to claim the top spot on the podium.