COURCHEVEL, Italy (AP) — Xu Mengtao soared to victory in women’s aerials Wednesday at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, nailing a score of 112.90 for her second consecutive gold medal. The 31-year-old Chinese skier twisted through the air with precision on her final jump, landing cleanly to seal the win before a packed crowd at the high-altitude venue.

Danielle Scott of Australia chased hard, posting 102.17 for silver in her Olympic debut. Shao Qi, also from China, edged out her competitors for bronze with 101.90. The top six finishers emerged from qualifying rounds held earlier in the day.

Kong Fanyu of China placed fourth at 101.31. Americans Kaila Kuhn and Winter Vinecki rounded out the final, scoring 99.16 and 90.58 respectively. Neither U.S. skier stuck the landing perfectly on their last run, dashing hopes for a podium spot.

Xu’s triumph marks her as the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic golds in aerials, according to International Ski Federation records. She now holds four Olympic medals total, including silver in women’s aerials at the 2014 Sochi Games and another silver in mixed team aerials at Beijing 2022.

China continues its stranglehold on the event. At least one Chinese athlete has medaled in women’s aerials at every Olympics since the discipline joined the program in 1994 Lillehammer Games. The country boasts 10 all-time medals here, an Olympic record, officials said.

Scott’s silver makes her the third Australian to medal in the event. She joins Alisa Camplin, who won gold in 2002 at Salt Lake City, and Lydia Lassila, gold medalist in 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi. Australia’s haul now stands at five medals, second only to China’s dominance.

For the U.S., the final offered a shot at back-to-back medals for the first time since Nikki Stone’s gold in Nagano 1998. Megan Nick broke a 24-year drought with bronze in Beijing 2022. Kuhn, 20, and Vinecki, 18, both advanced to the medal round but faltered on execution. Vinecki, who trains in Park City, Utah, cited a slight edge on landing as the difference.

“It was so close,” Kuhn told reporters afterward. “We gave it everything, but the judges reward perfection.”

The aerials competition unfolded under clear skies at the Olympia delle Tofane site, with temperatures hovering around freezing. Jumps involved double or triple twists off a 4-meter ramp, judged on air, form and landing. Xu’s winning run featured a layout 720, earning high marks from all nine judges.

Competition moves to men’s aerials Thursday. Athletes from 15 nations vied for spots in the women’s final, with China, Australia and the U.S. leading qualifiers.