Moguls skier Britt Cox has claimed her fifth win in seven World Cup events to become one of Australia's best hopes of Winter Olympic gold next year
In an expanding field of contenders, moguls skier Britt Cox has become the Australian boasting the best claims to a gold medal at next year's Winter Olympics after a win at the Games test event.
Cox made it five wins from seven starts on the World Cup circuit this season with another dominant performance at Phoenix Park in Pyeongchang.
The good results kept flowing for Australia just a few hours later in Feldberg, Germany as Belle Brockhoff finished second in the snowboard cross to maintain her overall lead in the title standings.
Cox, 22, qualified first from the heats and semi-final and always looked the best skier to finish with 81.66 points as she outgunned Canada's Justine Dufour-Lapointe (78.35) and Andi Naude (78.16).
It marks the 10th World Cup gold medal won by an Australian winter athlete this season, with Scotty James also picking up victory in snowboard halfpipe at the X Games.
In total six athletes have been atop the dais in four different disciplines this season for Australia.
But Cox has stood tallest.
Prior to 2016/17 she had had just three other podium finishes, all bronze.
Now the two-time Winter Olympian has found her best form just a year out from the Games and is the standout woman in her sport.
She comfortably leads the overall standings and is well-placed to claim the discipline's season title.
Asked what had changed this season she said it was just a matter of getting some little things right.
"To be successful consistently you have to be really good at the basics and fundamentals and the coaches have really drilled it in to me," she said.
"That takes time and that takes patience. It's not something you can learn overnight. I have been in the World Cup since 2010 now and it has taken that amount of time."
Compatriot Matt Graham had a slightly disappointing night, making the six-man final but finishing last.
He had qualified for the decider in third.
Canadian Mikael Kingsbury, who has won the most events in the sport's history and is widely regarded as the greatest bumps skier of all time, took out the event with 86.71 points.
He edged Kazakh Dmitry Reiherd (86.70) with another Canadian, Philippe Marquis (85.94), in third.
Graham had claimed just his second event win earlier this year in Calgary and still sits in third place on the overall World Cup standings.
