Young guns taking the next step

Two years ago, Elise Coleiro and Sidney Stephens had not tasted international Aerials competition. Reilly Flanagan had only had his first start a month earlier.

This weekend, the trio take the next step in their meteoric rise by ascending to the World Cup stage for the first time at Lake Placid, New York.

In early 2023, 21-year-old Stephens showed her promise with four straight Nor-Am Cup top 10s before finishing seventh at the Junior World Championships in Austria. Flanagan, 20, joined her and Miriana Perkins in the teams event where they finished sixth.

Twenty-year-old Coleiro's rise has been even more steep as she enters her first World Cup following just five international competitions, two of which have come at the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre in Brisbane. Having only started jumping on snow last season, her seventh place finish at December's European Cup was the clear highlight of her young career, scoring the result in a field which included World Champions, Crystal Globe winners and Olympic medallists.

World Cup winner Renee McElduff is the Aerial Skiing Technical Jump Coach and Camp Coordinator for the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia and has admired up close the commitment of Flanagan, Coleiro and Stephens as they progress through the ranks.

"This group of athletes impress me daily," said McElduff. "They are young professionals who are aim to better themselves every training session. They are full of energy.

"This particular group is one of the best teams I've had the pleasure of coaching. Their support of one another on and off the hill is what is the most impressive. They push one another to be the best they can be."

The trio are the next to join a long line of Australians who have found success on the international stage. This weekend they line up alongside Laura Peel and Danielle Scott, the pair having dominated the scene for a decade. They will also be joined by Abbey Wilcox and Airleigh Frigo, with those four athletes all ranked inside the world's top 11 and providing a first-hand example of what it takes to be the best.

"Often, you'll find them sitting with Laura or Dani asking for advice," said McElduff. "Their work ethic is unmatched and she sets an excellent example for the younger generation.

"They had the pleasure of training alongside Laura for a month during the summer and it was nice to see them all rise a little.

"The three of them have the same goal [in Lake Placid] - execute to the highest standard.

"They will all have the lowest degree of difficulty in the field, but what they aim to have to the best execution."

Head to Snow Live to watch this weekend's FIS Aerials World Cup from 11am AEDT on Saturday and Sunday.