Watching Liz Lemley bask under the Livigno sun, you would never guess she had just laid down a run that won her Olympic gold. She was calm as her scores came out, a small smile flitting across her face as she took the top spot.

The 20-year-old American upset FIS World Cup rankings leader and 2022 Olympic gold medalist Jakara Anthony (AUS) on Wednesday to claim the gold in women's moguls. Coming into these Games, nearly everyone was focused on Anthony's potential to make history as the first woman to win back-to-back gold in moguls skiing. No one counted on Lemley disrupting the party. 

An uncharacteristic mistake from the Aussie, who had dominated all her runs leading into the superfinal, and a stellar run from the “Lizard” was enough to earn Lemley her first Olympic gold medal, all in her Olympic debut, no less. Lemley is the third American woman to win gold in women's moguls after Donna Weinbrecht (1992) and Hannah Kearney (2010).

"I think it's just an incredible moment for not only myself, but everybody around me who has supported me and has been with me every step of my journey," Lemley said. "It feels amazing to share that with them after all of our hard work."

Lemley came into the 2025-26 season after an ACL tear ended her previous one early on. Very few athletes, if any, have torn their ACL in one season and gone on to win Olympic gold the next. Returning from injury seems to be an occurring theme of these Games with the likes of Alpine skier Federica Brignone (ITA) winning gold in women's super-G 10 months after a nearly career-ending leg fracture and Mikael Kingsbury (CAN) claiming silver in men's moguls after suffering a groin injury earlier this season.

"This whole season, especially after coming back from injury, the whole focus was progression and to slowly just progress to my very best, which would be here," Lemley said. "I think I nailed that perfectly."

Lemley was joined on the podium by teammate Jaelin Kauf, who secured silver in a repeat of her performance at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, for the first-ever U.S. 1-2 finish in a women's Olympic freestyle skiing event. Kauf nearly didn't make the final after a stumble on her first run during qualifications left her in 24th place. 

"I obviously didn't put down a run in the first qualification and then kind of had to rethink everything," Kauf said. "I felt like going into this Games, I'm the veteran on the team. I have the most Olympic experience on our women's team. I'm supposed to know how to compete and come out and put down a run to start the day. Not having done that made me reset and figure things out."

When Kauf secured her first Olympic medal four years ago, her family and friends watched crowded around a television set over 6,000 miles away in Wyoming. This time around, 50 supporters decked out in hand-knit hats Jaelin made herself were waiting for her at the bottom.

"Every Olympics so far has been such a different experience," Kauf said. "This time around, it's really nice, especially compared to four years ago to have family and friends and just that energy at the bottom of the crowd and out there with me. That's made it extra special."

Kauf and Lemley were two of four American women named to the U.S. Ski Team's Olympic roster for moguls. In total, eight American women make up the moguls team on the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team (Kai Owens also competed for the team but announced her retirement prior to the Olympics). The U.S. women are some of the best moguls skiers in the world, with at least two American women making the podium at all five moguls World Cup events this season. Both Kauf and Lemley credit their success to the comradery they share with the other women on the team. 

"Having two of us on the podium yesterday goes to show how strong and incredible our women's team is," Kauf said. "Not just Liz and I being up there, but Liv and Tess and the rest of the girls who've been with this Olympic team. Our team is insane. Both Liz and I end up standing on top of the podium at the end of the day because of those girls constantly pushing us and helping us get to that point."

According to 2010 Olympic bronze medalist and head coach of the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Moguls Team Bryon Wilson in the new documentary 'Qualified,' the race to make one of four spots on the Olympic team was bittersweet given the depth of the World Cup team. While the competition was fierce, it did nothing to diminish the friendship shared between the nine women. 

"It was probably one of the best Olympic teams ever because we're all so close and we're all so amazing at our sport," Lemley said. "I respect everybody, and I love everybody. We always make great memories together."

Olympic moguls skiing is judged on three components: turns, air, and speed. Turns make up the largest component of the total score at 60 percent, with seven judges rating the technical execution of a skier's navigation of the moguls. Air and speed account for 20 percent each. 

Due to the technical nature of the sport, training involves a variety of components to perfect each of the three elements. During the summer, athletes spend their time training their jumps using water ramps. As they get closer to competition, fine tuning take priority, increasing the degree of difficulty on tricks and perfecting the edges of their turns. 

"I'm super into the technical aspect," Lemley said. "I have lots of discussions with my coach (John Dowling) on the hill and off the hill about just anything we see in the skiing."

Mental preparation is another big proponent of the sport. Both Kauf and Lemley spoke about centering their minds from the time they board the ski lift to the time they come up to the starting gate.

"When it comes down to the actual day of the competition, getting in the gate and what you're doing out there, it's so much more of a mental game," Kauf said. "It's really about just being confident with the jumps, with the run, with everything you're putting down."

Lemley and Kauf, alongside teammates Olivia Giaccio and Tess Johnson, will be competing on Saturday in the first-ever Olympic dual moguls competition. In duals, athletes go head-to-head on parallel courses in a bracket-style competition. All four American women finished in the top four spots in the first and only World Cup dual moguls event this season.

"It's going to be really fun to get in the gate and go head-to-head with the rest of the girls on Saturday," Kauf said.