Sports wrap: medals, new records and finals wins this week
It was another big week in sport for our elite-athlete students with records broken, top spots booked, and finals won. Keep up with all the action in the latest edition of our sports wrap.
Winter sport
Just when we thought our own Jakara Anthony couldn’t impress us any further, the Olympic moguls champion became Australia’s most successful winter sports athlete in a single season, after winning her twelfth medal at the women’s moguls World Cup final in Megève, France.
Jakara (pictured) equaled the record set by Alisa Camplin and Britt Cox when she claimed gold in the dual moguls last weekend – and then made the title her own with two more silvers. Her performance saw her claim her first ever Crystal Globe World Cup title: the Grand Slam of moguls.
‘This is my first time taking the big globe and this is the first time we have had a dual mogul globe, so to be able to take that out just really shows how consistent I’ve been able to be this season at a really high level,’ said Jakara.
‘It wasn’t easy — the women’s field is so high this year and everyone is really stepping up their game — so these feel extra special.’
The achievement puts the icing on the cake for Jakara, who won Australia’s first ever moguls gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics in February.
AFLW
The AFLW finals series was thrown a curveball when health and safety protocols forced the postponement of the Magpies’ preliminary final, as the side fell below the minimum number of players needed to field a side.
Lauren Butler and Mikala Cann will now take on the Lions in the rescheduled do-or-die clash at the Gabba this Sunday in the hopes of advancing to the next week of finals, where they will take on Eliza McNamara’s Demons, if successful.
W-League
The Melbourne derby first final went down on the weekend with Deakin students Emma Checker and Leah Davidson facing off against Polly Doran and Melina Ayres with Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory, respectively.
Only one team could come out triumphant, with Melbourne Victory getting over the line to advance to a second consecutive A-League Grand Final rematch against Sydney FC.
Melina opened the scoring for the Victory, who went on to claim a 3-1 win, booking their spot in the final decider. There’s plenty on the line with Sydney gunning for the elusive Premiership and Championship combination after losing two successive grand finals, while Victory look determined to prove their status as the best by winning back-to-back.
WNBL
It was the perfect finish to the home-and-away season for Deakin elite-athlete students Ezi Magbegor, Lily Scanlon and their Melbourne Boomers who toppled the UC Capitals to claim top spot and a home semi-finals series.
The Boomers will face the Adelaide Lightning next week in the best of three series, with the winner booking their spot in the Grand Final series.
Are you an elite athlete studying at Deakin?
Elite athletes can face many demands in finding a balance between their studies and sporting commitments, and we understand the need to support student athletes to enable them to succeed in both areas.
If you’ve got any questions about how the Elite Athlete Program (EAP) could help you, please visit the EAP website or contact the Elite Sports Coordinator, Jack Duke, at [email protected].
Photograph by Getty Images.