Surpassing previous Olympic medal hauls by Australian teams with the Milan-Cortina Games only at the halfway mark, team chef de mission Alisa Camplin has hailed the performance as “mind-blowing”.
Jakara Anthony overtook snowboarder Scotty James as the country’s most decorated Winter Olympian when she clinched the first-ever dual moguls gold medal on Saturday.
It was a courageous performance after the Beijing champion was unable to defend her title in the individual event three days earlier after a slip-up in the medal round after starting hot favourite.
Anthony’s medal brought the tally to four with a week still to go – her gold adding to those won by her moguls teammate Cooper Woods and snowboard cross racer Josie Baff as the well as the silver annexed by five-time Olympian James in the halfpipe.
Australia had won four medals in Beijing, but only one gold.
“We had four medals in Beijing and back in 2010 we had two golds and a silver and we now have three golds and a silver, so we’ve certainly surpassed previous performances,” said Camplin, herself a two-time aerials medallist.
“It was hard last night seeing Scotty James, he was gunning for gold and until today he was our most decorated Olympian with bronze and two silver and now Jakara winning two golds, we’re in rarified air. It’s unprecedented times for winter sport.
There are more medal chances to come with Woods and Matt Graham leading the charge in the men’s dual moguls on Sunday, while Bree Walker is ranked world No.2 in the monobob and teenage freeskier Indra Brown has won a World Cup in the halfpipe.
While Laura Peel was forced out of the aerials after rupturing her ACL, fellow veteran Danielle Scott could also podium.
“Every team is unique and we’ve just grown over time – the inter-generational sharing of experience and culture and wisdom and ongoing funding from the government, it’s enabled us to build and build and build,” Camplin said.
“It’s everything we could have dreamed of. We had a great team, highly-credentialed and we’re only halfway through and we’ve had our most historic result so I’m pretty overwhelmed to be honest.
“When we looked at the schedule of the way the Games was set up, there was potential for it to happen.
“You’re talking about serious competitors. None of these have been good luck — they’ve all been hard work and preparation.
“We’ve worked really hard as a winter sport community and industry to deliver those kinds of results.
“Across all clusters we’re just in this amazing space of teamwork and culture of good people and excellence and I hope Australia can feel it and that we’re inspiring everyone back home because what’s happening is pretty special.”
AUSTRALIA’S MEDAL-WINNING WINTER OLYMPICS
1994, Lillehammer: 1 bronze
1998, Nagano: 1 bronze
2002, Salt Lake City: 2 gold
2006, Torino: 1 gold: 1 bronze
2010, Vancouver: 2 gold, 1 silver
2014, Sochi: 2 silver, 1 bronze
2018, PyeongChang: 2 silver, 1 bronze
2022, Beijing: 1 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze
2026, Milan-Cortina: 3 gold, 1 silver
