Kauf Completes Hat Trick; U.S. Wins Nations Cup
Jaelin Kauf has done the unthinkable, winning all three FIS Freestyle Crystal Globes for the first time in U.S. history. In the dual moguls competition in Livigno, Kauf finished second place, her 14th podium of the season and 50th of her career. Dylan Walczyk earned a new season’s best result, finishing fourth. Tess Johnson also finished the season on the overall moguls podium in third place.
“It’s been a whole lot of fun competing against these girls out here,” said Kauf. “It’s been an incredible year of skiing all around, and there’s been a really good push all year from a lot of my teammates and other competitors, it’s been a crazy season.”
The sun from the moguls competition was swallowed by thick clouds and off and on snow for duals day, creating interesting snow conditions for the athletes. Despite the weather, all eight U.S. athletes advanced to the finals.
The round of 16 was an all-American affair for the men, as Nick Page and Asher Michel and Walczyk and Charlie Mickel went head to head. Page advanced to the quarterfinals alongside Walczyk after an incredibly tight dual with Mickel. Mickel finished ninth and Michel ended the day 13th. On the women’s side, Kylie Kariotis and Tess Johnson battled it out in the 1/8th finals. Kariotis put down a beautiful run to advance, while Johnson, unfortunately, took a nasty fall but got up on her own accord and skied down. Kasey Hogg took on the infamous Perrine Laffont of France, but a mistake kept her from advancing. Hogg finished 14th and Johnson finished 16th.
Due to the unfortunate placement of the two American duals in the round of 16, the U.S. men had to dual again in the quarterfinals. Page and Walczyk kept things close until Page put too much gas on the skis and had to ski out to avoid crashing. Walczyk advanced to the semifinals and Page finished sixth. Kauf advanced easily past her quarterfinal matchup with Japan’s Marin Ito 27-8. Kariotis was on pace with Anastassiya Gorodko of Kazakhstan but unfortunately made a mistake and did not advance to the semifinals, finishing seventh.
Walczyk faced one of the toughest duals you can draw, lining up next to the king, Mikael Kingsbury of Canada, who was on track to win his 99th World Cup. Walczyk put on a show for the U.S. fans, keeping things clean and concise against Kingsbury, and advanced to the small final. Kauf met Gorodko in the semifinals, where the Kazakhstanian couldn’t compete with her speed and had to ski out of the course, sending Kauf to the big final. In the other semifinal, Australia’s Charlotte Wilson, who was already on track to her best dual moguls result yet, shocked the crowd by advancing past Laffont, setting herself up for her first big final appearance.
In the small final, Walczyk met Filip Gravenfors, a Swedish skier who has been having a fantastic season. The dual was tight, but Gravenfors finished on top, while Walczyk finished fourth, his season's best result. For the women, Wilson was on a tear and could not be stopped. Despite Kauf’s incredible speed and jumps, the Australian took the top spot, while Kauf finished second, earning her 14th consecutive podium finish.
“All of the ladies out here, especially this week, are such strong competitors,” said Kauf. “Everyone is only getting better, and it’s super fun to watch Charlotte get her first podium and win today. Absolutely crushing it. They really just continue to push the sport and push all of us. There is a lot of momentum going into next week."
“This feels like a dream come true,” said Johnson, about finishing third in the overall moguls standings. “My previous best overall [result] was fifth, so to top that and finish top three is really special, and to do that alongside the women on this tour is just even that much better. The level of skiing is incredible across the board from all countries, and it’s just an honor to be a part of it.”
Based on the results of all U.S. athletes this season, the team was awarded the coveted Nation's Cup, which is given to the country with the most points accumulated each year.
