After heartbreak for fellow Australian flag-bearer Jakara Anthony, Matt Graham will look to make amends and claim the nation’s first medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Anthony was the gold medal favourite but, showing how moguls can turn in an instant, erred in the women’s final to finish eighth of eight runners.
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Graham, the 2018 silver medallist, was already into the final after claiming the 10th and final automatic qualifying spot in Tuesday’s running.
“Sneaked in there, probably got a little lucky, but I’ll take it,” Graham told Nine.
Anthony’s heartbreaking final run | 00:29
But he was also joined by compatriot Cooper Woods, who finished sixth at the Beijing Olympics, and debutant Harvey Jackson after they were first and fifth respectively in the second-chance qualifier.
While fellow debutant George Murphy missed out Woods and Jackson brilliantly earned their places in the 20-man final, with Woods’ score of 80.46 the second-best overall across the two qualifiers.
The final is a two-part event, with 12 skiers to be eliminated in Final 1 (10:15pm AEDT) before the eight best performers go for the medals in Final 2.
Australia’s Matt Graham competes during the men’s freestyle skiing moguls qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)Source: AP
