Five added to PyeongChang 2018 Team

Australia’s Olympic Team for PyeongChang 2018 has been finalised after the reallocation of quota spots has allowed five more athletes to gain selection for next month’s Winter Games.   

The Australian contingent will now see 50 athletes grace the Olympic stage between February 9-25, in a team made up of fresh talent and experience with 19 rookies, 24 two-time Olympians, five triple Olympians, one four and one five time Olympians.

Sochi Olympian Anton Grimus will join Sami Kennedy-Sim representing Australia in the freestyle skiing discipline where he’ll be looking to improve on his 25th place finish at the 2014 Games.

Grimus originally began his snow sports career in the Australian National Alpine Team but made the switch to Ski Cross in 2010 with immediate success, qualifying second for the final in his first World Cup start. Born and raised in Mt Buller, Grimus recorded his best career result in 2012 at Nakiska, Canada where he finished with a bronze medal.

Injury troubles left the Victorian sidelined for majority of the 2016/2017 season but the 27-year-old has bounced back to gain selection in his second Olympic Team.

James Matheson will join the six other Australian mogul skiing athletes at the PyeongChang Games. 22-year-old Matheson made his World Cup debut in the fast-paced freestyle discipline in 2013 and has gone on to grace the international circuit 26 times.

The Olympic debutant will join Sochi Olympians Matt Graham and Brodie Summers to round out the trio of Aussie boys, after a breakthrough 2017/2018 season which saw him qualify for his first World Cup small final and place 7th at the Thaiwoo World Cup in December.

2012 Youth Olympian Harry Laidlaw joins Greta Small and Dominic Demschar to become Australia’s third alpine skier in PyeongChang where he will make his Olympic debut.

Laidlaw has been competing throughout North America and Europe having won the giant slalom event at the National Championships and both giant slalom Junior National Championships midway through 2017.

The Team is rounded out by an extra two cross-country athletes with 2014 Olympian Aimee Watson and debutant Casey Wright gaining selection upon reallocation.

Watson made her Olympic debut four years ago alongside brother, Callum (also selected on the 2018 Team) where the 30-year-old finished in 63rd in the 10km event and 54th in the 30km mass start.

Wright made her international debut in 2012 and won bronze at the 2017 Sapporo Asian Winter Games.

The PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games kick off on February 9 with the Aussie mogul athletes the first to compete. 

Ash Knight
olympics.com.au