There is no rest for the wicked—or the wickedly good skiers. Just one week ago to Olympics wrapped up and the FIS Freestyle Moguls World Cup continues in Nanto-Toyama, Japan. It is the first Japanese Moguls World Cup in six years—and Team USA delivered in a big way.
Saturday: Moguls
Saturday’s moguls competition saw Olivia Giaccio firing on all cylinders, claiming her first win of the 2025-26 season and the fourth World Cup victory of her career. It marked her 23rd career podium and pushed her into the lead in the overall standings, where she now also sits tied for first in the moguls standings.
In warm, soft snow conditions with rain falling, the competition was anything but easy. From the qualification round, 16 women advanced to the finals, with Tess Johnson leading the qualification round ahead of Australia’s Jakara Anthony and teammate Olivia Giaccio in third. Also advancing from Team USA were Olympic silver medalist Jaelin Kauf in fifth place and Kasey Hogg in seventh place, while Alli Macuga finished 24th. Advancing from the first final to the second final were only six skiers, with France’s Perrine Laffon leading the way ahead of Canada’s Maya Schwinghammer, and Japan’s Hinako Tomitaka. On the Team USA side, three skiers advanced into the super final.
In the super final, Hogg finished sixth with a 68.32. Johnson followed with a 74.68 to take fourth overall. Giaccio, third to drop, delivered a near-flawless run blending speed, precision, and technical difficulty to score 75.64. Japan’s Hinako Tomitaka, Canada’s Maia Schwinghammer, and France’s Perrine Laffont were still to ski, but none could match Giaccio’s mark. Tomitaka finished second and Laffont third, securing Giaccio’s victory.
On the men’s side, Australia’s two-time Olympic medalist Matt Graham took the win with 78.42 points—the sixth World Cup victory of his career—but Team USA’s Landon Wendler was right behind him with 78.21 points. It marks Wendler’s first podium since 2024. Finishing in third was home favorite Ikuma Horishima with a score of 75.63.
Charlie Mickel also impressed, finishing fifth overall after advancing to the super final. Asher Michel placed ninth and Nick Page 15th. In qualification, Mickel had posted the second-highest score behind Horishima, while Michel qualified third. Cole McDonald (17th), Dylan Walczyk (20th), and Dylan Marcellini (24th) did not advance.
Sunday: Dual Moguls
Sunday saw the dual moguls and Team USA delivered an incredible all-American podium. Jaelin Kauf—known as the fastest woman on the World Cup circuit—took the win in the big final over teammate Olivia Giaccio, while Tess Johnson secured third place after winning the small final against Perrine Laffont. Notably, Olympic dual moguls gold medalist Jakara Anthony was knocked out early, DNFing in her quarterfinal matchup against Giaccio.
In the men’s competition, Japan’s Ikuma Horishima claimed victory. He defeated Sweden’s Rasmus Stegfeldt in the quarterfinals and continued his strong form to take the top step of the podium. The small final was an all-Japanese battle between Shima Kawakoa and Takuya Shimakawa, with Kawakoa taking third.
With her victory today, Olivia Giaccio is leading the season’s overall standings ahead of Jakara Anthony and teammate Tess Johnson. On the men’s side Ikuma Hiroshima leads ahead of Matt Graham.
The Moguls World Cup continues in Shahdag, Azerbijan, on March 14 and 15.
