Australian Olympic champion Jakara Anthony is in pole position to win a third straight World Cup moguls title in successive weeks after qualifying in top position at Alpe d'Huez.
Anthony, continuing the brilliance that saw her win the Olympic moguls gold in Beijing in February, started the new season with two straight victories in Scandinavia, first at Ruka, Finland and last weekend in the Swedish resort of Idre Fjall.
In France on Thursday, the 24-year-old freestyle skiing maestro from Barwon Heads in Victoria was again in fine form, leading the qualifiers with a 75.38 point score, but American Elizabeth Lemley looked a genuine threat, finishing just behind on 75.31.
Lemley beat Anthony in the dual moguls in Idre Fjall last weekend, the first setback in what had until then been a perfect campaign for the Australian.
Frenchwoman Perrine Laffont, Anthony's nearest challenger in the overall World Cup moguls standings, qualified third on 75.06.
In the equivalent men's event, Anthony's teammate Matt Graham, the double world silver medallist who's making a stirring comeback from injury, qualified in second place (77.52), just 0.04 behind the Idre Fjall winner, American Nick Page.
The other Australian men, Cooper Woods (72.96) and Harvey Jackson (70.47) also qualified in 9th and 12th places respectively.
