Charlotte Wilson has crowned her impressive inaugural season by securing her very first FIS World Cup gold medal on the Olympic course in Livigno, Italy.
Exactly 24 hours following her recognition as the FIS Freestyle Moguls Rookie of the Year for this season, Wilson amazed everyone by defeating some of the top competitors in the dual moguls event.
Wilson stated to the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia (OWIA) that it still hasn’t registered with him.
What a remarkable day and what an extraordinary sensation.
Wilson's path to triumph couldn’t have been more challenging, as she had to face the top three highest-ranked women on this year’s circuit in consecutive one-on-one encounters.
After eliminating French legend Perrine Laffont in the semifinals and Japanese skier Rino Yanagimoto in the quarterfinals, Wilson defeated overall World Cup champion Jaelin Kauf with a score of 22-13 in the finals.
"As I mentioned before, I was hoping to maintain the momentum from yesterday into today, and I truly believe we succeeded in doing so," she stated.
I planned to put in my greatest effort. Such chances don't come around frequently.
It was wild trying to even stay in touch with Jaelin, not to mention winning.
For the first time, dual moguls will be held at the Winter Olympics next year in Livigno. This World Cup stop will serve as a trial run for that event.
Given that last year’s Crystal Globe victor and current Olympic champion Jakara Anthony remains sidelined due to injury, Wilson’s win indicates that the next generation of Australian moguls skiing is thriving right now.
"It provides a great morale boost heading into the new year," Wilson stated.
Secured a spot in the top-10 yesterday and grabbed a victory today, the coming 11 months will demand intense effort, yet I'm quite fond of the location. Next year is poised to be amazing.
In the men's competition, Matt Graham couldn't participate in the dual moguls following a severe crash during the singles event the previous day.
Graham managed to reach the top-six final but had a severe crash on the middle mogul segment, which left him Winded.
"I unfortunately took quite a fall during the medal round yesterday," he shared on Instagram.
Following the episode where I coughed up blood, I required imaging tests to ensure all was intact.
Happily, there are no significant issues and all remains undamaged.
Simply some blood seepage and contusions in my lungs along with overall discomfort from the collision.
You could anticipate that when you bring in a mogul traveling at 40 km/h.
At the Beijing Olympics, Cooper Woods achieved his finest performance for the year, coming in fifth. He was narrowly edged out by Canadian icon Mikaël Kingsbury, who secured his 99th World Cup win.
Graham is anticipated to fully recover in time for the World Championships in St Moritz, starting from March 17.
Up next on the Olympic schedule, the aerials team will take center stage on Thursday evening AEDT.
Australian Laura Peel tops the overall rankings and must secure at least a 12th-place finish to clinch the overall championship.
