Anthony Evans grew up in Myrtleford, VIC and got into cross-country skiing at an early age with his dad and sibilings. Growing up exploring the Mt Buffalo plateau, Mt Hotham, Mt Bogong and the Bogong High Plains was a special experience for the young Evans and made cross-country a sport for life.

Evans’ breakthrough moment happened unexpectedly and caught even Anthony himself by surprise. In 1992, arguably with very few outstanding results to his name, Evans was selected to the Australian team headed to Albertville for the 1992 Winter Olympic Games. After competing in all the distance events, he thought he’d have a crack at the 50km event. With no pressure on his shoulders and nothing to lose, Evans ended up producing the best performance of his entire Olympic career, finishing in 37th place.

At the end of 1994, by then already a two-time Olympian, Evans decided to abandon ski racing. It turned out to be a temporary retirement: after missing the 1995 season, he felt a burning desire to come back and achieve more, so he quit his job and went back to training, firmly setting his sights on the 1998 Olympics. In Nagano Evans became the first Australian cross-country skier to compete in three Olympic Games.

Sport continued to play an important part in Anthony Evans’ life once he retired from competitive skiing for good. Through sport he met his wife Carla, a three-time speed skating Olympian for the Netherlands, and sporting activities continued to take the Evans family to all parts of the world, be it cycling through the French Alps, skiing in the USA and Europe or just bushwalking through Tasmania with their two daughters, who share the same love of sport. One of them, Zana Evans, is also a cross-country skier and competed in the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne.