Australia’s most successful Winter Olympian, Jakara Anthony OAM, has been presented with the inaugural Geelong Medal by Mayor Stretch Kontelj OAM at an official ceremony today.
A resident of Barwon Heads, Anthony won the dual moguls final at Milano Cortina 2026, becoming the only Australian Winter Olympian to win two gold medals. She won her first gold medal in the moguls event at Beijing 2022.
Achieving gold in the dual moguls event at Milano Cortina was a strong comeback following adversity and an eighth-place finish in the previous moguls event.
The new Geelong Medal is awarded by the Mayor of the City of Greater Geelong to recognise the extraordinary achievements of a local resident.
Presented at Wurriki Nyal, the medal was awarded in the presence of councillors, local members of parliament, and other local dignitaries.
Mayor Stretch Kontelj OAM said Anthony was a fitting recipient for the medal.
“Our City couldn’t be prouder of Jakara Anthony,” Mayor Kontelj said.
“She has shown an incredible level of dedication to the sport of freestyle skiing, and her efforts have now been recognised twice on the world stage.
“Like many Geelong residents, I was cheering Jakara on live in February; she is an inspiration to us, and reflects everything that the new Geelong Medal stands for.”
Jakara Anthony OAM said returning to Greater Geelong was a great feeling.
“It’s been really exciting to get home post Olympics and share the medal with everyone and come to events like this, receiving the Geelong Medal…it’s super special,” Ms Anthony said.
“What’s cool about the Greater Geelong region for young athletes is just how active the lifestyle is down here, and how many sporting opportunities you have, all the kind of same opportunities you would have in a bigger city, but you’ve also got the coast just half an hour away, or for some people living right on it.
“I’ve been living down this way since I was about three years old…getting to live that coastal lifestyle with such great people around, even though I spend most of my life at the snow, it’s a bit of a contradiction, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Anthony’s advice to young people was to take opportunities and try many different things.
“Whether that’s sport, whether it’s school, you don’t know when you’re going to find that one thing, that you truly love and that you decide you want to pursue,” she said.
