World Class Aerials And Moguls Teams Named To Australian Winter Olympic Team

Eight mogul athletes and three aerial skiers have been announced in the Australian Winter Olympic Team for Beijing by the Australian Olympic Committee.

Reigning world champion Laura Peel and multiple World Cup medallist Danielle Scott will both compete in their third Games, with Gabi Ash making her Olympic debut in aerial skiing.

Achieving the maximum possible quota of four men and four women in moguls, the team boasts a wealth of experience. Britt Cox enters rare air as just the second mogul athlete to be selected for her fourth Olympic Team.

Jakara Anthony and Taylah O’Neill will compete at their second Games, while Sophie Ash makes it an Ash family double, selected for her Olympic debut alongside sister Gabi.

Reigning silver medallist Matt Graham and Brodie Summers both return for their third Olympics, James Matheson will contest his second Games with Cooper Woods to make his Olympic debut.

Both moguls and aerials teams have had a formidable build up to the Games. Laura Peel and Danielle Scott currently sit third and fourth in the World Cup rankings, with Peel landing one of the highest scoring jumps in women’s aerials history to win the Deer Valley World Cup in mid-January.

Jakara Anthony has had a blistering season, claiming eight podiums and entering the Games ranked third in the world in single moguls event, with Summers and Woods both making World Cup Super Finals in the past fortnight. Matt Graham has made a remarkable recovery from a broken collarbone suffered in December, to defend his silver medal won in PyeongChang. Taylah O’Neill is showing extraordinary resilience, passing her fitness clearance to compete just weeks after a serious knee injury.

Moguls and aerials athletes have also benefitted from being able to practice and perfect their manoeuvres in the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Institute in Brisbane. Athletes have been using the world class facility since December 2020, building skills in the off-season and even allowing Graham to put his surgically repaired shoulder through rigorous summer training just weeks out from the Beijing Games.

Snow Australia CEO, Michael Kennedy, said the athletes assembled to represent Australia will once again represent the country proudly at the Olympic Winter Games.

“Australia has such a rich history when it comes to competing in the Freestyle events at the Olympic Winter Games and I want to congratulate each and every one of the athletes selected who will carry on that tradition.

“The last two years have been incredibly challenging for everyone, and once again our athletes have shown incredible resilience and flexibility to adapt to the constantly changing situation.

“Our moguls and aerials teams have achieved great things on the world stage, and we have a very proud record at the Olympic Games. 

“It has been another strong World Cup season for Aussies heading into the Beijing Games. From this group we have seen strong performances including recent podiums at the final World Cups ahead the Olympics from Laura Peel, Danielle Scott and Jakara Anthony.

“It is incredible to see amongst this group Britt Cox, at age 27, lining up for her fourth Winter Olympics and 2018 Olympic silver medallist Matt Graham competing in his third Olympics. They will no doubt share their experience and knowledge with the three debutants named today.”

2017 World Champion and already triple Olympian Britt Cox said the buzz of making an Olympic Team has never diminished.

“I remember this moment 12 years ago now, when I qualified for my first Games in Vancouver 2010 and honestly, I have the same amount of excitement and pride to represent Australia as I did back then,” Cox said.

“I can't help but just think about how much I've learned and grown as a person in the that 12 years. Looking back, I remember how inspired and motivated I was to become the best possible skier that that I could be and I’m just grateful for the journey.

“To even have the opportunity to be competing at these Olympics is really special given the past 18 months. I really hope that we can do something that makes Australia excited. I hope we can inspire people and show stories of resilience and determination because I think that's what the world needs to see right now.”

Jakara Anthony said she’s keen to show how much she has grown as an athlete since her debut in Pyeongchang 2018.

“I really enjoyed my PyeongChang experience, and I've done a lot of learning and I'm a much more mature athlete and person now,” Anthony said. “I've got a whole new skill set that I can take into Beijing with me, and I'm excited to see what I can do with that.”

“This World Cup season has been really great for me, I've been able to incorporate a new cork 720 mute jump on the top air and I’ve been able to sort out all the different parts of my runs and get it all together in one go.  The women's field is so strong this year, it’s improved so much with so many girls pushing the sport so hard.

“I'll be going into these games trying to give myself every opportunity to put down the run that I know I can. That’s during the training sessions, during recovery, setting myself up mentally. I've done all the physical work to set myself up, so now it's all about just giving myself that opportunity.”

Chef de Mission for the Australian Olympic Team for Beijing, Geoff Lipshut said he was thrilled to announce a very strong aerials and moguls team.

“Congratulations to all eleven athletes named for moguls and aerials,” Mr Lipshut said. “They have performed at the highest level throughout this World Cup season and I know Australians will be cheering them on in just a few short weeks.

“To achieve the maximum qualification of eight athletes in moguls shows the tremendous depth of talent in the program. The multiple World Cup podiums and personal bests throughout the season in both moguls and aerials is testament to the athletes, coaches, support staff, Snow Australia, NSWIS and VIS who have developed such impressive programs.

“A special congratulations to Britt, from making her debut as a 15-year-old in Vancouver to making history as the first female Australian mogul skier to compete at four Olympics, Britt has been an amazing athlete and ambassador for winter sport.

“We have an incredible Olympic legacy in moguls and aerials, with performances etched into Australian sporting history. I look forward to seeing this team write the next chapter of that story.”

The Moguls competition will run from 3-6 February and women’s Aerials from 13-14 February, in Genting Snow Park.