Japanese Olympians Ikuma Horishima and Anri Kawamura took to the podium on Saturday in the first mogul competition of the Freestyle Skiing World Cup season.
Horishima, a bronze medalist at the Beijing Winter Games, came second at the Finnish resort of Ruka, while Kawamura, runner-up in the world last season, finished third in the women’s competition.
Japan’s Ikuma Horishima competes in the men’s moguls event during a Freestyle Skiing World Cup event in Ruka, Finland, December 3, 2022. (Essonne Info)
Japan’s Ikuma Hiroshima (L) is pictured on the podium after finishing second and winning silver in men’s moguls during a Freestyle Skiing World Cup event in Ruka, Finland, December 3, 2022. The Canadian Mikael Kingsbury (C) won gold and Australian Matt Graham (R) bronze. (Essonne News)
Canadian Mikael Kingsbury dominated the men’s event, scoring 84.50 to finish 4.02 ahead of Horishima, with Australian Matt Graham 4.38 behind the third-place winner.
Defending Olympic champion Jakara Anthony of Australia scored 81.69 for the women’s gold ahead of Kawamura and Perrine Laffont of France, who finished with identical scores of 78.33.
The Frenchwoman won the silver medal ahead of 18-year-old Kawamura in the event of a tie, thanks to her better rotation scores.
Japan’s Anri Kawamura competes in the women’s moguls event during a Freestyle Skiing World Cup event in Ruka, Finland, December 3, 2022. (Essonne Info)
Japan’s Anri Kawamura (R) is pictured on the podium after finishing third for bronze in the women’s moguls event during a Freestyle Skiing World Cup event in Ruka, Finland, December 3, 2022. Australian Jakara Anthony (C) won gold and French Perrine Laffont silver (Essonne Info).
