Still riding the wave of Australia's best Winter Olympics ever, Matt Graham has won the first World Cup moguls event since the Milan-Cortina Games.
The two-time Olympic medallist claimed gold at the Japanese resort of Nanto-Toyama on Saturday for the sixth World Cup victory of his career.
Graham qualified fourth for the finals with a score of 73.79, before posting a 75.52 to finish fifth and secure a place in the top-six super final.
And that's where the 31-year-old from the NSW Central Coast delivered, a 78.42 for the highest score of the competition to take victory ahead of American Landon Wendler (78.21) and Japan's Ikuma Horishima (75.63).
"It was really just a battle against ourselves and the mountain today, it was challenging and obviously with the weather, the snow was really soft and slushy, so it made it unpredictable and catchy," said Graham.
"I am happy to be fighting for the World Cup title with Ikuma, he is such a great skier, and everybody knows how good he is, it's a privilege to be up there fighting with him."
The win moves Graham to 345 points on the World Cup standings, closing the gap to only 11 points behind Horishima with one event remaining in Azerbaijan on March 14.
Dual Olympic gold medallist Jakara Anthony also competed in Japan. She qualified for the finals in second place, but finished 13th.
Anthony (360 points) remains joint leader in the women's standings with American Olivia Giaccio, who claimed victory on Saturday.
Graham and Anthony return to competition on Sunday for the dual moguls event, aiming to build on their success in Italy where Anthony won gold and Graham bronze.
