Australian Aerial Skiers: A Rollercoaster Olympic Journey

Australian aerial skiers experienced a range of significant outcomes in the lead-up to and during the Winter Olympics. These included a devastating injury to a medal contender, a triumphant World Cup victory, and a historic individual silver medal for Australia. The Australian mixed aerials team also competed with notable effort, ultimately finishing fourth.

Pre-Olympic Preparations and Challenges

Laura Peel's Injury and Withdrawal

Australian aerial skier Laura Peel, a 36-year-old three-time Olympian and two-time world champion, faced a major setback just before the Games. She sustained a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee, along with other injuries, during a pre-Games training camp in Airolo, Switzerland. The injury occurred on a Monday and was confirmed by an MRI scan in Zug.

Despite returning to the training camp for treatment, medical advice ultimately led to her withdrawal from the Winter Olympics. Peel had previously secured a World Cup gold medal in Canada in the month prior to her injury and had expressed confidence in her performance. This would have been Peel's fourth Olympic appearance, having represented Australia at Sochi 2014, Pyeongchang 2018, and Beijing 2022. She remained with the team to provide support, and Australia was permitted to replace her through a late athlete replacement policy.

Danielle Scott's World Cup Victory

Amidst the challenges, Danielle Scott delivered a stellar performance. The 35-year-old three-time Olympian secured her seventh career World Cup victory at Lake Placid, United States. This marked her first World Cup win in nearly three years, boosting her confidence leading into the Olympics.

Scott achieved an impressive score of 95.88 points in the super final, performing a back double full-full. She finished ahead of China's reigning Olympic champion Xu Mengtai (94.01 points) and America's 2025 world champion Kaila Kuhn (92.29 points). In the same World Cup event, fellow Australian Laura Peel finished sixth, while Airleigh Frigo placed seventh. Competitors were scheduled for another World Cup event at Lake Placid as part of their final preparations for the Milan-Cortina Games.

Team Composition and Training

Australia's planned women's aerials team included Laura Peel, Danielle Scott, Airleigh Frigo, and Abbey Willcox. Reilly Flanagan qualified for the men's event and was nominated for mixed teams with Peel and Scott. Australian aerials coach Renee McElduff highlighted the team's rigorous preparation: "The team practices for potential competition delays, including scenario planning for simulated cancellations or wind holds at their water ramp facility in Brisbane."

Winter Olympics Individual Aerials

Competition Delays

The aerials competition in Livigno faced significant disruptions. Delays were experienced due to strong winds, heavy snowfall, and reduced visibility caused by fog. These challenging conditions also raised concerns regarding access for medical services.

Athlete safety was cited as the primary concern for any postponement decisions.

The team prepared for a revised schedule that combined qualification and finals on the same day, adapting to the unpredictable weather.

Danielle Scott's Silver Medal

In a historic moment for Australian winter sports, Danielle Scott secured a silver medal in the women's aerials at the Winter Olympics, marking her first Olympic medal in her fourth Games appearance. This achievement followed a period where Scott had placed 19th and 20th in early January World Cup events, underscoring her incredible comeback.

Scott achieved a career-high score of 117.19 in the first final, performing a triple-twisting triple – a maneuver she had not used in competition for three years. In the medal round, Scott scored 102.17, making contact with the snow during her landing. China's Xu Mengtao won the gold medal with a score of 112.90, with three Chinese skiers finishing among the top four competitors.

Scott's medal was awarded 24 years to the day after Alisa Camplin became Australia's first female Winter Olympics gold medalist in the event.

Australian skier Abbey Willcox reached the top-12 first final before being eliminated, while Airleigh Frigo and Sydney Stephens did not advance. Sydney Stephens, a 24-year-old World Cup rookie, was competing in her first Olympics.

Winter Olympics Mixed Aerials Team Event

Team Performance

Australia's mixed aerials team, comprising Danielle Scott, Abbey Willcox, and Reilly Flanagan, finished fourth in the four-team final at the Winter Olympic Games, narrowly missing out on a medal.

In the qualifying round, the Australian team showcased strong performances. Danielle Scott achieved a personal best score of 120.20 with her back full-full-full jump. Abbey Willcox scored 81.78, and Reilly Flanagan scored 87.06, allowing Australia to advance to the final ahead of teams like Canada and Ukraine.

Australia was the only team in the final with two women and one man, a notable compositional difference as male athletes typically perform higher-difficulty jumps. There is no specific points compensation for this difference; the highest trick score for a woman in competition is 4.293, while a man in this final achieved 5.100. Additionally, two Australian skiers were performing doubles (highest trick score 3.525), both Olympic debutants.

In the final, Australia's performance began with Abbey Willcox, who scored 64.86. Danielle Scott then scored 95.30 on her back-triple full. Reilly Flanagan's jump, a back-double full-full, scored 95.88. Australia's total score in the final was 256.04 points.

The USA secured the gold medal with a score of 325.35, Switzerland won silver with 296.91 points, and China took the bronze medal with 325.35 points. Switzerland's Noé Roth performed a back double full double full-full, scoring an impressive 129.54 points. China's Li Tianma fell during his final jump due to its high degree of difficulty, requiring assistance.

The scoring system attributes 30% of the total score to landing, allowing high-difficulty jumps to earn substantial points even with imperfect landings.

Other Australian Olympic Results

Snowboarding and Alpine Skiing

Beyond aerials, other Australian athletes also delivered commendable performances. Australian snowboarder Ally Hickman, 16, finished seventh in the women's slopestyle Olympic final. She initially placed fourth after her first run, scoring 67.70. She later sustained a bruised sternum after a fall during her second run, with imaging confirming the injury and ruling out a fracture. New Zealand's Zoi Sadowski-Synnott secured a silver medal in the slopestyle event.

Australian skier Madi Hoffman finished 23rd in the women's slalom, representing Australia's best Olympic result in the event since 1998. American Mikaela Shiffrin won gold in the slalom.

Other Australian athletes competing during the Games included:

• Jakara Anthony, Emma Bosco, and Charlotte Wilson in women's dual moguls.
• Harry Laidlaw in men's giant slalom.
• Ellen Soehol Lie, Phoebe Cridland, Rosie Fordham, and Maddie Hooker in the women's cross-country skiing relay.
• Darcie Morton in the women's biathlon 7.5km sprint.
• Brendan Corey in the men's short track speed skating 1,500m quarterfinal.

Australia's total medal count at the Games included six medals, comprising three gold, two silver, and one bronze.