Cooper Woods Wins Moguls Gold for Australia
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| Woods secures Australia's first gold at Milano Cortina |
Cooper Woods edges Canada's Mikael Kingsbury in thrilling moguls final to win Australia's first gold at Milano Cortina Games, becoming seventh Aussie to claim Winter Olympics gold.
“I didn't have any expectations this morning...”
Cooper Woods has brought home gold for Australia in the men's moguls competition at the Milano Cortina Games, edging out Canada's Mikael Kingsbury in a nail-biting tiebreaker. The 25-year-old Aussie secured the top spot with a turns score of 48.4, narrowly beating Kingsbury's 47.7, despite both scoring 83.71 overall.
Woods' win marks Australia's first gold medal at the Games and makes him the seventh Australian to claim a Winter Olympics gold. The victory is even sweeter considering Woods had to overcome a tough qualification round, topping the second-chance qualifier before storming into the final.
“I didn't have any expectations this morning. I just wanted to go out and ski my runs and stay true to what I know I can achieve.
“It’s not often that you get one over Mikael, so I’ll take it when I can. He is an absolutely wonderful man... I always get advice from him.”
Cooper Woods made history by becoming the seventh Australian to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics, claiming the men's moguls title in a thrilling tiebreaker win over Canada's Mikael Kingsbury. Woods' achievement is even more impressive given his strong winter sports background - his mother Katrina competed in aerials skiing, and his uncle Peter “Toppa” Topalovic is a renowned moguls coach in New South Wales.
Woods' gold medal is Australia's first at the Milano Cortina Games, and he joins Dale Begg-Smith as the second Australian to claim the men's moguls title, following Begg-Smith's win in Turin 2006. The 25-year-old Australian edged out Kingsbury, widely regarded as one of the greatest moguls skiers of all time, with a turns score of 48.4 to Kingsbury's 47.7, despite both scoring a total of 83.71.
Mikael Kingsbury, the Canadian moguls skiing legend, has added a fourth Olympic medal to his impressive collection, securing silver at the Milano Cortina Games. This achievement ties him with Cooper Woods of Australia, who won gold, while Japan's Ikuma Horishima took bronze. Kingsbury's medal haul now includes gold from PyeongChang 2018 and silver from Sochi 2014 and Beijing 2022, solidifying his position as the most decorated athlete in men's freestyle skiing history.
The 33-year-old Canadian's remarkable career is marked by numerous accolades, including 100 World Cup wins and nine world championship gold medals. Despite facing challenges, including a groin injury earlier this season, Kingsbury's determination and skill have earned him a reputation as one of the greatest moguls skiers of all time.
🥇 Unbelievable skill from Cooper WOODS who put in a dazzling performance to take #Gold in the freestyle skiing men's moguls 🔥
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) February 12, 2026
The first of his career, and Australia’s first of #MilanoCortina2026 👏 @FISFreestyle | #MedalAlert| @AUSOlympicTeam | #Samsung | #OpenAlwaysWins pic.twitter.com/su0NUKBPbF
Mikael Kingsbury, the Canadian moguls legend, recently extended his World Cup wins record to 100, but had to settle for silver in the men's moguls competition at the Milano Cortina Games. He was edged out by Australia's Cooper Woods in a thrilling tiebreaker, with both skiers scoring 83.71 points.
Japan's Ikuma Horishima claimed bronze, having led earlier in the final with 83.44 points. He impressed with a rhythmic run packed with difficult tricks, including a signature 1440. Sweden's Walter Wallberg finished fourth, making a strong comeback after an injury kept him out for most of last season.
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