Jaelin Kauf’s Olympic Pursuit: A Story of Resilience in Livigno
LIVIGNO, Italy – The 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno, Italy, have presented a challenging start for American freestyle skier Jaelin Kauf. Despite a stumble during her first qualifying run in women’s moguls, Kauf remains focused and determined to compete for a medal. After completing her first run, Kauf shrugged with a smile, acknowledging the setback and immediately looking ahead.
A Difficult First Run
Immediately following her initial air, Kauf lost her footing, first with her right leg and then her left, impacting her momentum through the challenging mogul course. While she managed to regain control and land her second jump, the damage was done. Her score of 53.38 points placed her 27th out of 29 skiers, requiring her to compete in a second qualifying round.
To advance, Kauf needs to place within the top 10 in the second qualifying round, then within the top eight to reach the smaller final, where the top three skiers will earn Olympic medals. The second qualifying round took place on Wednesday at 3 a.m. MST.
The Importance of Turns and Past Successes
Moguls runs are judged on turns (60%), air (20%), and speed (20%). Kauf’s struggles were primarily in the turns, a critical component of the scoring. Judges awarded her 18.75 time points, 11.03 for air, and 23.6 for turns. In comparison, Australia’s Jakara Anthony led with 81.65 points, with 48.3 points attributed to her turns.
Despite this initial setback, Kauf’s supporters remained optimistic. She is currently ranked seventh in the world in singles moguls and first in dual moguls, which will debut at the Olympics on Saturday. Last year, Kauf achieved a historic feat by winning all three Crystal Globes – singles, duals, and overall points – during the World Cup season, a first for an American freestyle moguls skier.
A Season of Challenges
This season has been marked by disruptions, with two World Cup events canceled due to weather conditions. Visibility issues also led to the cancellation of finals rounds in Canada and a race in New Hampshire. Through the winter season, only one weekend has gone as planned, with one moguls and one duals competition held in Ruka, Finland.
Olympic Experience and Team Support
This is Kauf’s third Winter Games appearance. She won silver in moguls in 2022 and placed seventh in 2018. She now has the opportunity to compete for medals in both singles and dual moguls. The American team is a close-knit group, with teammates Tess Johnson, Olivia Giaccio, and Elizabeth Lemley also vying for podium finishes. Lemley is making her Olympic debut, while Johnson and Giaccio previously competed alongside Kauf in 2018 and 2022, respectively.
The dual moguls competition is scheduled to begin on Saturday at 6:30 a.m. MST. Stay tuned to JHNewsAndGuide.com for continued coverage of Jaelin Kauf and the American freestyle skiing team.
