Australia’s record-breaking performance at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics concluded with promise rather than a final medal. Sixteen-year-old freestyle skier Indra Brown secured fifth place in the halfpipe final, finishing just 5.5 points shy of the podium and marking the best result ever by an Australian under 18 at the Winter Games.
Indra Brown’s Breakthrough Moment
Brown landed a 1080 spin—three full rotations—the first time she achieved this in competition and one of only two athletes to do so that day. Despite her youth and limited senior experience, she displayed exceptional poise. Promising cross-country skier Rosie Fordham also competed admirably in the 50km event, capping Australia’s campaign.
The team tallied three gold, two silver, and one bronze medals, placing 14th overall—surpassing traditional rivals and trailing only powerhouses like Canada, Japan, and China.
Training Innovations Drive Success
Australia’s achievements stem from strategic investments in off-snow facilities. The Geoff Henke Winter Olympic Sports Training Centre in Brisbane offers water-based practice for aerial and mogul skiers, the southern hemisphere’s only such venue. It contributed to most medals, including Danielle Scott’s silver in women’s aerials. Scott noted she might have abandoned the sport without the 2021-opened facility.
Snow Australia’s Jindabyne training centre features a world-class dry slope airbag for year-round skiing and snowboarding practice. The organization’s head states, “We compete best in sports trainable off snow.” All but Josie Baff’s snowboard cross gold align with this approach. Both facilities launched within the last five years, yielding immediate results.
Funding Push for Next Level
Australian chef de mission and former gold medalist Alisa Camplin-Warner calls for enhanced support. “Winter sports have received disproportionate funding,” she stated. “We’re grateful, but equalizing it would elevate us further and enable more athletes to pursue dreams.”
Winter disciplines garnered under $40 million in federal high-performance funding over the Olympic cycle, far less than summer sports like swimming, which secures nearly $20 million this year alone for able-bodied and para-athletes. Concerns linger that preparations for Brisbane 2032 could sideline winter efforts. Many athletes, including globally touted Brown, rely on crowdfunding via the Australian Sports Foundation.
Bright Horizons Ahead
Brown heads to the FIS Park and Pipe Junior World Championships in Canada next, balancing elite competition with high school—recently tackling linear equations between runs. Final judging emphasized height over technique, limiting the 16-year-old to three meters versus bronze medalist Zoe Atkin’s five. Time will bridge that gap.
Over half of Australia’s 50-plus Olympians debuted in Milano Cortina, positioning the nation for even stronger showings in four years.
