Women continue to show the way

The success of our female athletes is hard to understate, with women accounting for over 66% of Australia’s international medals in winter sports.

On March 8 as we celebrate International Women’s Day, we highlight some of the trailblazers - those who have achieved historic ‘firsts’ in Australian winter sport.

Some of these athletes are already recipients of the Snow Australia Medal, while some will be awarded theirs at the Snow Australia Night of Champions at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney on Wednesday 22 March. Tickets are still available - click here for more details.

Christine Davy MBE
Christine Davy was awarded the MBE in recognition of her service to the aviation industry which saw her become the first Australian women to hold a first class air Transport Pilot’s Licence and the first woman to be employed as pilot of a passenger airline. Prior to that, she was also a pioneer in sport becoming the first Australian female skier to compete at the Winter Olympics in 1956, returning again at the 1960 Games.

Lynne Grosse
A keen skateboarder and talented surfer, Lynne Grosse’s affinity for skiing was clear upon her first time on snow in 1978. Within a few months she was performing somersaults on skis and in 1983 competed in her first World Cup moguls event. The following season she competed in both combined moguls with aerials, and went on to stand on the World Cup podium twice. In doing so, she became Australia’s first female skier to win a World Cup medal. 

Kirstie Marshall OAM
Having competed in aerials at the 1992 Winter Olympics when it was a demonstration sport, Kirstie Marshall competed alongside Jacqui Cooper as Australia’s first Olympic freestyle skiers in 1994. Marshall finished sixth in the event and was the first female to carry the Australian flag at the opening ceremony. She also carried it in the closing ceremony and remains the only Australian Olympian to have this honour. Marshall won 17 World Cup events between 1990 and 1998 and was the 1997 World Champion.

Zali Steggall OAM
Zali Steggall became the first Australian woman to win an alpine skiing World Cup event when she claimed slalom gold at Park City, Utah in 1997. Then, 42 years after Christine Davy became Australia’s first alpine skier at the Winter Olympics, Zali Steggall became Australia’s first medallist on snow when she won slalom bronze at Nagano in 1998. She went on to become Australia’s first alpine skiing World Champion when she won the slalom at Beaver Creek in 1999.

Alisa Camplin AM
Just four years after Zali Steggall won Australia’s first Winter Olympics medal on snow, aerial skier Alisa Camplin claimed Australia’s first gold medal on snow at Salt Lake City in 2002. Like Steggall, she backed up her Olympic Champion status to become World Champion the following year at Deer Valley. In 2006, Camplin became not only Australia’s first skier to win medals at consecutive Winter Olympics when she won the bronze medal, but the first female aerial skier from any nation to medal at two Olympics. She went on to finish her career with 10 World Cup victories, dominating the 2003/04 season with seven wins and a total of 10 podiums from 12 events.

Emily Jansen
After being spotted skiing with her family as a teenager at Mount Buller, Emily was invited to a talent identification camp. After a strong northern winter in 2005, She earned selection on the 2006 Australian Paralympic Team, becoming Australia’s first ever female skier at the Games.

Torah Bright OAM
Eight years after Alisa Camplin claimed Australia’s first Olympic gold medal on skis, Torah Bright won Australia’s first Olympic snowboarding gold medal when she was victorious in the halfpipe at Vancouver 2010. She then went on to win silver in 2014 at Sochi when she became the first male or female snowboarder to compete in halfpipe, slopestyle and snowboard cross at the same Olympics. She finished her career with three World Cup wins, two X-Games victories and a bronze medal at the 2013 World Championships.

Jessica Gallagher
One of Australia’s most versatile athletes, Jessica Gallagher became Australia’s second female Winter Paralympian and our first female medallist. She claimed bronze at Vancouver 2010 in visually impaired slalom, and earned another third-place finish four years later at Sochi in giant slalom. She has gone on to represent Australia at summer Paralympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games in three other sports - athletics, cycling and rowing.

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The Snow Australia Medal was launched in June 2020 by Snow Australia to recognise the achievements and careers of those past and retiring athletes who represented Australia at the highest level of snow sport competition.

It is presented to all athletes across Alpine, Cross-Country, Freestyle, Snowboard, Park & Pipe and Paralympic Snow disciplines who during their careers have: 

• finished in the top 3 at FIS World Cup or World Championship level; and/or
• represented Australia at the Olympic or Paralympic Winter Games

The next recipients will be awarded their Medals at the Snow Australia Night of Champions at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney on Wednesday 22 March. Tickets are still available - click here for more details.

On International Women’s Day, we recognise the women who have so far been awarded the Snow Australia Medal:

• Jenny Altermatt (Alpine Skiing)
• Sophie Ash (Freestyle Skiing, Moguls)
• Emily Bamford (Alpine Skiig)
• Manuela Berchtold (Freestyle Moguls)
• Colleen Bolton (Cross Country)
• Jane Butko (Freestyle Moguls)
• Alisa Camplin AM (Freestyle Aerials)
• Alice Chilcott (Alpine Skiing)
• Lavinia Chrystal (Alpine Skiing)
• Jacqui Cooper (Freestyle Aerials)
• Jacqui Cowderoy (Alpine Skiing)
• Katya Crema (Ski Cross)
• Christine Davy MBE (Alpine Skiing)
• Tarsha Ebbern (Freestyle Acro)
• Elizabeth Gardner (Freestyle Aerials)
• Kylie Gill (Freestyle Skiing)
• Lynne Grosse (Freestyle Aerials)
• Marilla Guss (Alpine Skiing)
• Bobbi Kelly (Para Alpine Skiing)
• Sami Kennedy-Sim (Ski Cross)
• Jeanette Korten (Alpine Skiing)
• Lydia Lassila OAM (nee Ierodiaconou) (Freestyle Aerials)
• Jenny Lyons (Alpine Skiing, Ski Cross)
• Renee McElduff (Freestyle Aerials)
• Joanne McDougall (nee Henke) (Alpine Skiing)
• Ondine McGlashan (Alpine Skiing)
• Stephanie Magiros (Snowboard Halfpipe)
• Kirstie Marshall OAM (Freestyle Aerials)
• Bree Munro (Freestyle Aerials)
• Taylah O’Neill (Freestyle Moguls)
• Nicole Parks (Freestyle Moguls)
• Melissa Perrine (Para Alpine Skiing)
• Sally Rodd (Alpine Skiing)
• Christine Smith (Alpine Skiing)
• Zali Steggall OAM (Alpine Skiing)
• Samantha Wells (Freestyle Aerials)