Women’s dual moguls: How did Team USA do in the single-elimination event’s debut?

MILAN, Metropolitan City of Milan — Women’s dual moguls made its Olympic debut Saturday in a “chaotic” and “wild” morning, but the Americans managed to finish strong, winning two more medals. 

Team USA’s Jaelin Kauf went into the event as a top contender and didn’t disappoint, earning silver. This is Kauf’s second silver medal win in the 2026 Winter Games, but it’s her third time on the Olympic podium. Kauf finished second in the 2026 women’s moguls individual. She earned her first silver medal for the same event in the 2022 Beijing Olympics. 

Other top contenders going into the event were France’s Perrine Laffont and Olympic champion Jakara Anthony of Australia.

Fellow American Elizabeth Lemley, who won gold Wednesday in the women’s individual moguls, also proved to be a tough challenger Saturday. Lemley fell and did not finish in the semifinal matchup against Anthony, but she advanced to the final race to determine third and fourth place. Lemley ultimately placed third, adding a bronze medal to her growing collection.

Anthony fumbled a bit on Wednesday during the women’s mogul individual event and finished second behind Lemley, but the Australian delivered a near-flawless performance on Saturday. Anthony dominated all five single-elimination races and finished the event at the top of the podium to take home gold. Laffont finished fourth. 

Tess Johnson and Olivia Giaccio also competed for Team USA, but both were knocked out of the competition during the quarterfinals. Johnson fell short during a single-elimination matchup against Laffont, and Giaccio lost in her matchup against Anthony. 

Dual moguls made its Olympic debut in the 2026 Winter Games. The bone-rattling event is a twist on the classic moguls competition, which has been an official Olympic program since 1992, upping the ante with single-elimination faceoff runs. 

Competitors in the freestyle skiing sport navigate a series of snow mounds, or moguls, while also flipping and twisting off two jumps. 

Dual moguls force two athletes to compete side-by-side on a course divided into two lanes that measure between 200 and 270 meters. Competitors cut down the bumpy ski slope course with two opportunities for jumps and aerial tricks to help secure the highest score. 

The athlete with the highest score advances to the next round and continues through the bracket until the final event.

Scoring is based on a combination of turns (how they handle the moguls, the tighter your legs stay together the better), air (what they do over the jumps) and speed. The evaluations come from either seven judges, split 5-2 for technique, or a panel of five judges split 3-2 for technique and jumps, according to the Olympics.

Turns count for 60% of the total score, while air and speed each count for 20%.

In the case that the competitors tie in speed, they both get only half the speed votes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.