Discipline: Snowboard
Achievements: Silver, Snowboard Cross World Cup Ischgl 2000, Bronze, Snowboard Cross World Cup Sapporo 2001
Medal awarded in: 2021

John Fletcher never looked back once he was introduced to snowboarding. He and his brother loved surfing and skateboarding when they were younger, but snowboarding was not yet popular when he and his brother started in 1990. They had been skiing for a few years, and when their mother wanted to put them in skiing lessons again, they insisted that they would take lessons in snowboarding instead.

First starting out in Interschools competition, he entered his first open competition at age 13. Although initially a scary prospect to enter the next level of competition, he was grateful that he did and finished around the middle of his age group. When looking back on this moment, he reflects “I would encourage anyone considering competing to just give it a go. The worst thing that can happen is that you come last – and hey, then you will help a bunch of other people to feel a bit better about themselves”.

He credits riding with his brother when he was younger for helping him to grow as a snowboarder as he naturally pushed himself to try and be as good as him.

Fletcher made a name for himself in the Junior Snowboard Championships, where he competed from 1997-2000 as part of the Australian Junior Team. 

His breakthrough moment was winning the Junior World Championships in Telluride in 1999, a result which he also considers to be the best moment in his career.

In those years he also started competing on the FIS World Cup tour, making his debut in Tignes, France, in 1999 and becoming Australia’s first representative in a Snowboard Halfpipe World Cup competition.

Born in the era before specialisation, Fletcher was a true all-rounder. Between 1999 and 2011 he started in 45 FIS World Cup events, competing in all snowboard disciplines across Snowboard Giant Slalom, Halfpipe, Parallel GS, Snowboard Cross, Giant Slalom, and Parallel Slalom.

Fletcher earned his first World Cup medal in 2000, finishing second in a Snowboard Cross event in Ischgl, Austria. The following year he won a bronze medal in Sapporo, again in Snowboard Cross, on his way to finishing the 2000/2001 FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup season ranked 11th in the world.

In 2001 he competed in the World Snowboard Championships at Madonna di Campiglio, Italy. He started in all five Snowboard disciplines in the program, claiming 23rd place in Snowboard Cross as his best result. 

He thanks his parents for helping him to take the sport as far as he wanted and their approach to health and fitness led Fletcher to stay almost entirely injury-free. He also credits Zeke Stegall for leading the way on the World Cup tour.