Wednesday morning had some early excitement for Team USA with a one-two punch.
After sitting in second place in the qualifying round, Elizabeth Lemley, 20, put down the gold medal-winning run in her Olympic debut, benefiting from a slip-up from defending champion Jakara Anthony.
She tallied a final score of 82.30, sending her big and rowdy cheering section of friends and family from Vail, Colo. into a frenzy.
Not long after, the victory was made even sweeter.
Fellow American Jaelin Kauf finished second with a score of 80.77.
(L to R) silver medalist United States’ Jaelin Kauf, gold medalist United States’ Elizabeth Lemley and bronze medalist France’s Perrine Laffont celebrate after the women’s freestyle skiing moguls finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics. AP
After Kauf came down the course, she, Lemley and the two other American finalists jumped and hugged in celebration as the podium looked more and more clear down the stretch.
“Pretty unreal. It definitely hasn’t quite hit me yet,” Lemley said to reporters following the win. “I’m just so happy.”
France’s Perrine Laffont — the 2018 Pyeongchang champion — claimed the bronze with a score of 78.00.
Jakara Anthony falls during her final moguls run. AP2026 WINTER OLYMPICS
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Lemley’s upset win was quite a shock to the crowd, as Anthony was the last to go down the course and was expected to steal the lead from the young Olympian.
However, the Australian lost control after the first jump and it cost her the crown.
Anthony, who led the way after the first round of the finals, was looking to make history as the first female athlete to win the women’s moguls title twice.
United States’ Jaelin Kauf, left, hugs United States’ Elizabeth Lemley during the women’s freestyle skiing moguls finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. APBut that will be delayed for another four years.
“I don’t have expectations for myself,” said Lemley, when asked if she expected to win like this, this quickly. “I just wanted this coming in. I’ve prepared myself to be in the mindset to win. But it’s just awesome to do it.”
With the second-place finish, Kauf, 29, won her second consecutive silver medal after winning her first and only other Olympic medal at the 2022 Beijing Games.
Elizabeth Lemley of United States in action during the Women’s Moguls Finals. REUTERSThe Alta, Wyo. native moved on after a strong qualifying round Wednesday morning ahead of the final, while the other three Americans, including Lemley, Olivia Giaccio and Tess Johnson, advanced in the first round of qualifiers Tuesday.
“Just didn’t ski at all how I wanted to ski,” Kauf said with her second silver medal slung around her neck, about the qualifying round.
“It’s really cool to have another Olympic medal, to take silver home again,” she added. “But, I mean, today I was really just trying to ski for myself today. This is the cherry on top. I’m so proud of Liz. It speaks volumes of our team and what our team is capable of, to have us go 1-2 on the Olympic stage.”
