You’ve probably heard that this year’s Milano Cortina Olympic Games has been Australia’s most successful Winter Games to date (three golds, six medals total and 14th ranking overall), but have you met the athletes that were responsible for this feat?
Australia shocked the world with outstanding performances from an island nation (we’re not exactly known for our snow), with our athletes producing results that established our nation as a force to be reckoned with at the next Winter Games. Read more to find out all about their stories, and what exactly it took to make Milano Cortina a resounding success for Australia.
Cooper Woods
Gold – Men’s Moguls
NSW South Coast skier Cooper Woods outperformed the sport’s most decorated athlete in the Men’s Moguls on February 12th, earning the first medal for Australia and the nation’s seventh Winter Olympics gold medal to date.
The 25-year-old was ranked 20th in the world leading up to the Games and shocked the world with the historic run in the final, edging out moguls great Mikael Kingsbury on his turns score alone.
At only his second Olympics, the Pambula Beach local locked in for the final and came away with the win.
Josie Baff
Gold – Women’s Snowboard Cross
The next day, it was Josie Baff’s turn to strike gold. Hailing from Cooma, NSW, the 23-year-old stormed to victory to secure Australia a second gold at Milano Cortina, and her first Olympic medal.
This medal meant that Australia’s gold medal tally reached a peak it hadn’t achieved since Vancouver 2010. With a dramatic overtaking move midway through the final (a must-watch if we say so), Baff willed her way into first place and crossed the finish line just 0.04 seconds ahead of the silver medallist Eva Adamczykova, a Czech snowboarder with two prior Olympic medals under her belt.
Baff told The Guardian that she had been spurred on by Woods’ win the day prior – “Seeing [Woods win] yesterday definitely sparked a little fire in me.”
Scotty James
Silver – Snowboard Half-Pipe
Australia’s most decorated Winter Olympian came away with the silver medal while Josie Baff won her first.
Although a gold medal would have completed his collection, James’ fifth Olympics saw a silver added to his decorated career. His second trip down the half-pipe included a sequence never completed by another rider – a switch backside 1440 directly into a backside 1440 combination – but James chose to attempt a new trick in the final that saw him fall and lose out on the gold.
James wasn’t regretful of this run, the 31-year-old rather choosing to make a statement in what could be his last Olympic Games.
Jakara Anthony
Gold – Women’s Dual Moguls
After a heartbreaking loss in the single moguls at Milano Cortina, Jakara Anthony came back stronger than ever for a gold medal win in the dual mogul event, marking three consecutive days of gold medals for Australia, and securing her the title of Australia’s first two-time Winter Games gold medallist.
The world number one and co-flag bearer clinched the first ever dual moguls title, sweeping the early rounds and beating the single’s gold medallist Elizabeth Lemley in the semi-final, and single’s silver medallist Jaelin Kauf in the final.
A masterclass in resilience, Anthony bounced back from singles defeat to take home what was set in her sights from the beginning, this medal also being the medal to surpass Australia’s all-time best tally.
Matt Graham
Bronze – Men’s Dual Moguls
Veteran Matt Graham added a second Olympic medal to his career haul, adding to the silver achieved at Pyeongchang 2018.
The 31-year-old took the third moguls medal for Australia at Milano Cortina, competing for the first time in the new event alongside Olympic champion Cooper Woods.
While Woods exited in the second round, Graham fought through to the small final to decide the bronze medal, outscoring Japanese skier Takuya Shimakawa 20 to 15.
Danielle Scott
Silver – Women’s Aerials
Despite telling friends and family to not bother to tune into Milano Cortina due to feeling in low form, Danielle Scott achieved a lifelong dream with a silver medal in the Women’s Aerials in the final week of the Games.
With family back in Australia, Scott beat her previous personal best of ninth place at the Olympics with a podium finish after four consecutive Olympic runs. Her first final recorded the best perfomance of the day, showcasing a triple-twisting triple, the first she had attempted in competition in three years.
Scott’s win marked a full-circle moment for Australian skiing, coming 24 years to the day after Australia’s first Winter Olympics female gold medallist Alisa Camplin won the event at Salt Lake City in 2002.