There's no stopping Jakara Anthony.
The Aussie charged down the slopes to stomp out a cork 720 mute grab and a laid out backflip to take the lead in women's moguls qualifying on Tuesday afternoon.
"It's been a pretty crazy lead-up to these Games," Anthony told NBC. "I'm just locked into competition mode and managing the nerves and just going out there and trying to get the job done. I'm just going out there and trying to do what we've been working on all offseason, and hopefully I can execute that in the final rounds of the competition."
Winning three of the four moguls World Cup events this season and standing at No. 1 in the FIS World Cup rankings, Anthony is in prime position to make history. The 27-year-old is aiming to be the first woman to defend her Olympic gold medal and win back-to-back gold in moguls skiing. She's won in both air scores and turn scores this season, making her the woman to beat in this moguls discipline.
Liz Lemley (USA) opened her Olympic debut with one of the smoothest runs of the competition. The addition of the grab on her cork 7 propelled her to second. Teammate Olivia Giaccio wasn't far behind. The 25-year-old was all smiles after her run, which included a cork 7 iron cross, put her just .21 points off of Lemley's score. Both Giaccio and Lemley, who stand at third and fourth in the World Cup rankings respectively, earned 2nd-place finishes at World Cup events this season. If today's runs were anything to go by, Wednesday's final will come down to the wire to decide Olympic gold.
Despite taking time off this season, Perinne Laffont (FRA) was on her A-game. The notoriously fast Frenchwoman flew down the course with a cork 7, finishing a little over a point behind Giaccio.
Japan's Hinako Tomitaka — the first skier to hit the course — set the tone for qualifying with a massive run that earned her 75.28 points. The world silver medalist ended the day in fifth. Her teammate, Haruka Nakao, was a surprise standout this round, flying through her backflip mute grab for a seventh-place finish.
Maia Schwinghammer (CAN) was another surprise, landing a cork 7 and a backflip mute grab to seal her place in Wednesday's final. The Canadian did not make a World Cup podium this season but now stands at one of the most important runs of her career.
Tess Johnson (USA) held her nerves with her signature backflip venom grab, a trick she invented herself, to mark her spot in the final. The American has been working on improving her absorption, which was evident in her run today.
Laurianne Desmarais-Gilbert (CAN) and Camille Cabrol (FRA) rounded out the top 10 athletes advancing to Wednesday's final.
American Jaelin Kauf, who claimed silver in Beijing, struggled to navigate the bumps midway through the course after landing her top air jump. Her family, wearing hats Kauf knit herself, cheered her on from the bottom of the course.
"Obviously, that wasn't the run I was going for this morning," Kauf told NBC. "Another run tomorrow, so another chance at it. The snow should be good for tomorrow. [I] took on a little bit too much of that first run and got a little backed in there but will get it together tomorrow."
She will have a second chance on Wednesday to earn her spot in the final.