Three Steamboat moguls skiers put on a show in Japan over the weekend.

The trio of Landon Wendler, Olivia Giaccio and Jaelin Kauf grabbed two wins and two second places at Nanto-Toyama. The skiers competed in both moguls and dual moguls.

“The competition in Japan was incredible,” said Giaccio. “We haven’t traveled to Japan since before COVID-19, and it was awesome to get to experience the amazing culture and food.”

Career-best for Wendler

Wendler grabbed his best career result — second place — in the men’s moguls competition Saturday.

Conditions were less than ideal, as above-freezing temperatures led to a wet, soft surface.

The competition was tight from the start of the qualification round. Wendler scored 72.31 points. First place scored 77.04 points, while the 16th-place skier scored 69.25 points. The top 16 skiers advance to the initial final round.

Wendler scored 77.00 points in Round 1 of the finals. His score placed him second — 0.77 points behind leader Ikkei Fujimura of Japan.

The competition came down to the wire in Round 2 of the finals. Wendler had his best run of the day and scored 78.21 points. Matt Graham of Australia scored 78.42 points to narrowly best Wendler for the victory. Ikuma Horishima of Japan was third.

Wendler could not duplicate the success in dual moguls Sunday. He lost to Shota Hirayama of Japan in the 1/8 final. Ikuma Horishima eventually grabbed first, with Rasmus Stegfeldt finishing second and Shima Kawaoka of Japan placed third.

Giaccio takes lead

Like Wendler, Giaccio did not let the weather keep her from a season-best result in the women’s moguls competition.

She marched through the qualification and final Round 1 — placing third and fourth, respectively. She scored 75.64 points. She bested Hinako Tomitaka of Japan and Perrine Laffont of France. They scored 75.31 and 75.01 points, respectively.

It’s Giaccio’s first win this season. She has podiumed at every competition. But a win has been elusive.

“I’m excited with the way that my skiing has been progressing and the investment I’ve put into my progress,” said Giaccio. “I can’t wait to showcase my skiing and see where I can push my performances to in the coming weeks.”

Giaccio is now tied with Jakara Anthony of Australia for the moguls World Cup points lead going into the final competition of the season in Azerbaijan. However, she is the overall points leader when dual and individual moguls are combined.

Kauf and Giaccio duel in duals

Kauf won her first World Cup dual moguls competition Japan, and returned to lead her team to a sweep in dual moguls.

Kauf and Giaccio squared off in the final. Kauf narrowly secured the win 20-15. Teammate Tess Johnson took third. It was the second American podium sweep in dual moguls in only the second contest of the season.

The first occurred in Val Saint-Come, Canada in January, where Kauf also won. She is the World Cup points leader in dual moguls, ahead of Giaccio.

“The course and conditions were very tough,” said Kauf. “So it was really just about getting through runs and keeping it together as much as possible.”