'Pretty special': Aussie stars Jakara Anthony and Matt Graham make 'massive' statement with dual World Cup golds

Australian stars Jakara Anthony and Matt Graham both claimed World Cup gold in Finland in a promising sign of things to come less than two months out from the Winter Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina.

It is the second time that the pair have landed on top of the podium at the same tournament, having last done so in Deer Valley, Utah in 2023.

Graham said it was "massive" for the nation. Anthony, meanwhile, said she is ready to defend her Olympic title.

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A superstar in her sport, Anthony has been forced to watch from the comfort of her living room for the past year as she worked to recover from a collarbone injury after a training mishap in December.

The Australian underwent surgery for the incident in Norway before returning to Australia to finish her rehabilitation. Now, she is back on the slopes.

Anthony looked in sharp form as she took off down the slopes on the first day of competition, qualifying third for the final.

She then delivered a clean and fast run for a score of 79.30 to finish on her 44th World Cup podium, with the gold.

It is the 15th time she has won gold at a World Cup.

"It's pretty special," Anthony said after the final.

"It's probably nearly a year to the day of getting injured. It's been a bit of journey with the broken collarbone, rehab, then a bit of a training block.

"It's been a while since I skied at a comp, so I had to remember how to do that, and make those adjustments tonight.

"Yesterday was a bummer, just didn't quite nail the last (run).

"I'm pretty have to have gotten over a fair few hurdles to get here. To get some redemption tonight is pretty special."

Australia's Charlotte Wilson competed in the women's final alongside Anthony, finishing 13th overall with a score of 66.63.

Wilson did not have the easiest journey into the final, losing both her skis in a crash that left her tumbling down the slopes on day one of competition. She walked off the slopes with no injuries.

Meanwhile, Graham withstood the pressure of being the last man to hit the slopes in his final to produce a run that earned him the winning score of 81.72.

The victory marked the first time in almost three years that he has won World Cup gold.

"It's good to be putting down really good runs," Graham, 31, said.

"The course was challenging, but really fun, and I'm just enjoying it.

"To get a double gold with Jakara - it's massive. We're not a skiing nation. We're a beach nation, so how the hell does this happen?"