Pyeongchang, South Korea • Jaelin Kauf had her sights set on winning gold in her first trip to the Olympics. Instead, as the medals were being decided here late Sunday night, the world’s No. 1-ranked female mogul skier sat alone in the snow, talking to her boyfriend on FaceTime.
The U.S. women’s moguls team came to South Korea young and inexperienced but talented and carrying high expectations for themselves. None more so than Kauf, the 21-year-old, the new face of of American mogul skiing, a woman some believe could be the heir to two-time Olympic medalist Hannah Kearney.