Tess Johnson won her third career World Cup event and several other Americans landed on podiums, as the freestyle skiing season got underway with aerials and moguls World Cup competitions in Ruka, Finland.
Johnson, a 2018 Olympian, won the first of two women’s moguls competitions held in Ruka. Her most recent World Cup victory came in February, and her only other win came seven years before that, back when she was just 17 years old.
The win puts Johnson in prime position to earn a spot on the Olympic roster for the upcoming Milan Cortina Games. Two athletes will automatically be named to the women’s moguls roster based on their best podium finish at a World Cup event this season. Given the depth of the U.S. in women’s moguls, this could be one of Team USA’s most compelling qualification battles this season.
Johnson’s teammate, Olivia Giaccio, finished 2nd on Monday, when the second moguls event took place, to put herself in contention for one of those automatic spots as well.
The only athlete already named to the roster is Jaelin Kauf, who swept the World Cup titles in moguls and dual moguls last season. Kauf didn’t make the final in Sunday’s event due to a crash in qualifying, but bounced back for a 3rd-place finish in Monday’s event.
Americans Elizabeth Lemley (4th on Sunday), Kasey Hogg (6th on Monday) and Alli Macuga (7th on Monday) also earned top-10 finishes in Ruka.
Monday’s event was won by Australia’s reigning Olympic champion, Jakara Anthony, who returned to competition after missing most of last season due to a broken collarbone.
In the men’s moguls field, all eyes were on Canadian legend Mikael Kingsbury, who entered the season just one victory shy of a landmark 100th World Cup win. Despite finishing 4th in qualifying on Sunday, Kingsbury withdrew from competition before the final. He did not compete on Monday.
Before the event, Kingsbury said he had been dealing with a groin injury. His next potential shot at win No. 100 will come on home snow. After a monthlong-break, the World Cup circuit heads to Quebec, the Canadian province where Kingsbury was born, in January.
With Kingsbury out of the field, Japan’s Ikuma Horishima and Australia’s Matt Graham won the two men’s events.
Nick Page was the top U.S. finisher, taking 3rd on Sunday and 4th on Monday. Page’s podium result currently has him in position to earn an automatic spot onto the Olympic team, although several events still remain before the team is finalized. Up to three men can earn an automatic spot via podium finishes.
Teammate Charlie Mickel finished just behind Page in 5th place on Monday.
On Saturday, the weekend began with individual aerials competitions. Ukraine’s Oleksandr Okipniuk won the men’s event, while three-time Olympic medalist Xu Mengtao of China took the victory in the women’s event.
American Chris Lillis secured a 3rd-place finish in the men’s competition to boost his own odds of making the Olympic team. Teammate Quinn Dehlinger, who has already qualified for Milan Cortina, finished one spot behind him in 4th. As with the moguls team, aerial skiers have the opportunity to earn automatic spots on the Olympic roster via podium finishes during this World Cup season.
No U.S. women landed on the podium, although Kyra Dossa (4th) and Dani Loeb (5th) came very close.
The freestyle skiing World Cup season will resume Dec. 20-21 with an aerials competition at Secret Garden in China. The mogul skiers won’t compete again until Jan. 9-10 in Canada.