Charlotte Wilson wins FIS Freestyle World Cup dual moguls gold at Olympic test event

Charlotte Wilson secured her first FIS World Cup gold medal on the Olympic course in Livigno, Italy, marking a triumphant end to her stellar debut season. The 20-year-old from Jindabyne stunned a field of world-class athletes with her victory in the dual moguls competition, coming just a day after being named FIS Freestyle Skiing Rookie of the Year.

“I haven’t really processed it yet,” Wilson said in an interview with the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia (OWIA). “It’s an unbelievable day and an unbelievable feeling.” Wilson's path to victory was arduous, facing the top four ranked athletes of the season in successive elimination rounds.

Wilson defeated French legend Perrine Laffont in the semi-finals, Japanese skier Rino Yanagimoto in the quarter-finals, and Canadian world number four Maia Schwinghammer in the round of 16. Ultimately, she triumphed over World Cup champion and world number one Jaelin Kauf in the final with a score of 22-13.

“I said before I hoped I could carry the momentum from yesterday, and I really think I did today,” she said. “I was going to give it my best shot. You don’t always get these opportunities. To keep up with Jaelin, let alone win, is crazy.” The World Cup stop also served as a test event for dual moguls, which will make its Winter Olympic debut in Livigno next year.

With last year’s Crystal Globe winner and reigning Olympic champion Jakara Anthony sidelined due to injury, Wilson’s victory demonstrates that the future of Australian moguls skiing is in capable hands. “It’s a really good confidence boost for next year,” Wilson said. “To get a top ten yesterday and win today, it’s going to be hard work for the next 11 months, but I really like this course, and next year is going to be awesome.”

In the men's competition, Matt Graham, following a significant crash in the singles moguls event the previous day, was unable to participate in the dual moguls. Graham had reached the top six final before taking a heavy fall on the middle mogul section, which left him struggling to breathe. "Unfortunately, I had a pretty bad crash in the medal run yesterday," he wrote on Instagram. "Coughed up blood after the crash and needed scans to make sure everything was all good."

“Thankfully, no major issues and everything is intact. Just some bleeding and bruising on the lungs and the usual soreness from the impact. I guess you can expect that when you lawn dart into a mogul at 40km/h.” Beijing Olympian, Cooper Woods, achieved his best result of the season, finishing fifth, losing out to Canadian legend Mikael Kingsbury, who claimed his 99th World Cup victory.

Graham is expected to make a full recovery before the World Championships in St. Moritz, which begin on March 17. Next up on the Olympic course will be the aerials team, who are scheduled to compete starting Thursday night AEDT. Australian athlete Laura Peel leads the overall standings and needs a 12th place finish or better to secure the overall title.