Kauf and Giaccio earn their fifth podium at this season’s Mogul World Cup

Despite temperatures near zero degrees in Canada’s Val St. Cam over the weekend, Stifel US Freestyle Ski Team athletes Jaelyn Kauf and Olivia Giaccio managed to finish on the podium as they continued to climb the World Cup moguls ranks. did.

Both are Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club graduates and have each earned five World Cup podiums in moguls this season, with Kauf earning silver medals on back-to-back days this weekend.

The U.S. women’s team has dominated the World Cup circuit all year, with all six players reaching the finals in doubles on Friday and Saturday in singles.

On Friday, Kauf and Giaccio each reached their second final, with Kauf, as usual, posting the fastest overall time down the hill in 25.22 seconds. Kauf performed well both in the air and in turns, taking second place in the competition. Giaccio was unable to complete his final run and finished in 6th place.

The World Cup weekend continued on Saturday with another cold night for the first dual moguls event of 2024.

In the quarterfinals, both Kauf and Giaccio would face their American teammates. Kauf defeated Ali Makuga 23-12, and Giaccio advanced with a close 18-17 win over Hannah Soar.

The two went head-to-head in the semi-finals, with Kauf defeating Giaccio 23-12 to advance to the big final, while Giaccho took on the small final. Kauf faced World Cup number one Jakara Anthony (Australia) in the final, but suffered a fall in the soft snow conditions and ended up finishing second. Giaccio’s opponent in the small final was also unable to finish, resulting in his fifth podium of the season.

Kauf has actively placed second in both moguls and dual moguls events at the World Cup, and after this weekend, she has earned her 30th World Cup podium in her career. Giaccio is not far behind in the rankings, finishing 4th in the moguls and 3rd in the duals.

The next match for Kauf, Giaccio and the freestyle ski team will be the first of two World Cup events to be held in the United States this season in New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley on Friday and Saturday.