The FIS Alpine Skiing Junior World Championships took place last week in Narvik, Norway, with five athletes representing Australia.
 
Headlining the team was 2026 Olympian Phoebe Heaydon, who came close to a medal, sitting in fourth in the slalom after the first run, but unfortunately was unable to complete the second run.
 
Summary of Australian Performances
 
Women’s Super-G
35th – Abbey Evans
 
Men’s Super-G
40th – Felix Sachs
 
Women’s Giant Slalom
38th – Madison Gilson
47th – Cate Dance
DNF2 – Phoebe Heaydon
DNF2 – Abbey Evans
 
Men’s Giant Slalom
46th - Felix Sachs
 
Women’s Slalom
26th – Madison Gilson
DNF2 – Phoebe Heaydon
DNF1 – Cate Dance
DNF2 – Abbey Evans
 
Men’s Slalom
DNF2 – Felix Sachs

IMAGE
​Phoebe Heaydon competing in the women's slalom at FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships
© Marius Gulliksrud/FIS

​Madi Hoffman has produced Australia’s strongest Olympic Women’s Slalom result in nearly three decades, finishing 23rd on debut at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

It is the best Australian performance in the event since Zali Steggall won bronze in 1998 and further evidence that Hoffman is building something significant in Australian alpine skiing. 

Article courtesy olympics.com.au ​

An impressive first run saw Hoffman finish 26th, making the sought-after top-30 flip which led her to be fifth out of the start gate for run two. 

While some questioned whether Hoffman would attack or hold back in order to protect a top 30 result, the 25-year-old didn’t hesitate and laid down the 21st-fastest run to move up three places. 

“I went for it,” Hoffman said. “You can just ski conservative or you can go... and I chose to GO! That’s who I am.” 

Simply reaching the Olympic start gate was once a distant goal following the injury setbacks that cruelled her Beijing dreams and nearly derailed this campaign. But standing among the world’s best in Cortina, Hoffman felt something different. 

“I think the thing I’m most proud of is that I felt like I deserved to be there,” she said. “I didn’t feel like an imposter or have imposter syndrome or anything. I was like, ‘no, I’ve kind of earned my stripes to be here’. That was a really freeing feeling to have.” 

Hoffman had already made history as the first Australian to score World Cup slalom points since Steggall, with the 25-year-old now getting a better sense of the athlete she wants to be. 

“I think through this injury I’ve gained a lot of perspective,” she said. “After scoring World Cup points so early in my World Cup career, it kind of made me feel like a bit of a fraud because I hadn’t backed it up since. 

“Since this injury, I feel like no matter what my skiing is like, I’ve done my time, I’ve done the hard yards and no one can really take that away from me.” 

So strong was Hoffman’s first run, she found herself starting behind some perennial high achievers in the sport including Czechia’s reigning Olympic slalom champion Petra Vlhová.

“Literally, I was like, ‘wow, there are some very good people starting in front of me’,” she said. “It’s pretty cool to see. I’m just excited honestly to get back to work and keep pushing.” 

Hoffman was also happy to share the success with those closest to her, with her friends and family in the stands in Cortina, well and truly making themselves heard. 

“They’re amazing, they’re funny,” Hoffman said of her family. “They’ve been nice and giving me my space on race days, so I haven’t given them a hug yet, but I’m pretty stoked I’m going to go and see them.” 

Fellow Australian Phoebe Heaydon recorded a first-run DNF today, however the 20-year-old can nonetheless reflect on an impressive Olympic debut after finishing 34th in the giant slalom earlier in the week. 

The Women's Slalom was won by Mikaela Shiffrin (USA), who claimed gold ahead of Switzerland’s Camille Rast, with Sweden’s Anna Swenn Larsson taking bronze. 

​Phoebe Heaydon has opened her first Olympic Winter Games with a composed performance in the Women’s Giant Slalom, climbing from bib 52 to finish 34th on the world’s biggest stage.

The young Australian sat 40th after her opening run and returned to the start gate determined to make the most of her second opportunity on the Tofane. 

Article courtesy olympics.com.au

She delivered again in run two, improving six positions to close out her first Olympic race inside the top 35. 

The 20-year-old carried no expectations into the giant slalom, instead using the event to gain valuable experience on the hill inside an iconic venue that erupted when Federica Brignone claimed victory for Italy. 

“I had zero expectations for the GS,” said Heaydon. “I was more just doing it because I qualified for it and I was able to, and it was experience for the slalom where my main focus is.”  

Racing among the sport’s biggest names in front of a vocal crowd did little to rattle the Olympic debutant, who has gained valuable exposure competing in her first World Cup events earlier this season. 

“It was super cool just being around the top girls again… super nice,” she said. “I’m lucky that I’ve had a bit of experience around them in the World Cups this year. 

“[I was] definitely less nervous than I anticipated, but it was amazing with all the people and just seeing my parents at the bottom was super special.” 

Beyond the result, the giant slalom provided important preparation for Wednesday’s Women’s Slalom, where she will line up alongside fellow Olympic debutant Madi Hoffman. 

“I didn’t think I would do anything at all in the GS, so to even be that close to top 30 in the GS is pretty good,” she said. “So now I think I’m capable of a lot for the slalom. 

“I got to test out the snow, just figure out the nerves — basically [the] main two things. 

“I saw where the slalom hill is, so that’s another thing. 

“Now I know my setup for the slalom and I’ve got some confidence.” 

Phoebe Heaydon and Madi Hoffman will contest the Women’s Slalom on Wednesday 18 February.

​In a field of over 80 skiers from across the globe, Hotham’s Harry Laidlaw finished 29th in the Men’s Giant Slalom. It was a race for the ages, which saw South America win its first Winter Olympic gold medal.

​Article courtesy olympics.com.au

The Victorian was satisfied with his first run and could see opportunity being high in the start order for the second run. In Giant Slalom, the top 30 order is reversed meaning that Laidlaw would run third in the new start order on a course that is completely reset, free from the ruts of the last runs.  

“I mean, [on the first run] the conditions were pretty bumpy, so I definitely had a few bubbles where I lost a lot of speed. But I think where I'm sitting now, it's a great position to jump up some numbers on the second run,” Laidlaw said between runs. 

Getting this result was a long time in the making for the two-time Olympian. Laidlaw competed at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Games where he unfortunately did not complete his first run. 

He pushed hard to perform after those Games, but a knee injury sidelined Laidlaw ahead of the 2022 Beijing Games. So, the run today was really eight long years in the making. In addition to his knee troubles, he also had spinal surgery in 2024 meaning the road to Milano Cortina was no picnic. 

“It’s been eight years since my last Games. It's incredible to be back and I feel like in between those eight years, a lot has happened. I had a few years where I was really doing well, first Australian Europa Cup GS podium, and first [Australian man] to qualify for the World Cup Giant Slalom second run,” the 29-year-old said.  

“It’s been eight years, but obviously, the last two to three years, it's been super difficult. I had a hairline fracture in my hip, then back surgery, and then a dislocated shoulder this summer. So, it's been super difficult, especially the back injury that happened in 2024.”

His second run unfortunately did not go to plan. He lost his line about a third of the way into the course causing him to bleed off speed through several gates.  

“I mean, I was not super happy with the skiing after the first run, but I was lucky to be in a good position for the second run. So, I was just trying to go as hard as I could to jump up a few spots. I was just trying to attack.”

“The course setting was super-fast and super straight, so there was no other way to go, so I was just trying to go hard and unfortunately, it didn't pay off the way I would have liked.”

Laidlaw finished the day in 29th place with a total time of 2:31.90, he was +6.90 seconds behind the race leader. 

Brazilian Lucas Pinheiro Braathen made history taking home the gold and becoming the first ever Winter Olympic medalist from any South American country. Laidlaw was impressed by the efforts of the Brazilian.  

“Yeah, super impressive. I mean, I thought that Switzerland would have done it, but, it's too cool to see, and especially from a small nation guy to get in there and get Brazil's first Winter Olympic gold is pretty sick.”

Swisse skiers Marco Odermatt and Loic Meillard rounded out the podium taking home the silver and bronze medals.  

Phoebe Heaydon and Madison Hoffman will compete in the Women’s Giant Slalom on 15 February and Slalom on 18 February

Madi Hoffman continued her return from injury last week, competing in her first World Cup of the season, a slalom event in Flachau, Austria.
 
In a field of 76 skiers, Hoffman finished the first run in 42nd place, missing the top-30 for the second run. Phoebe Heaydon also competed for Australia, but was unable to finish her run.
 
Taking victory was legendary American skier Mikaele Shiffrin, the 107th World Cup win of her career.
 
Also competing for Australia in World Cup Alpine events  last week was Greta Small who competed in Tarvisio, Italy, finishing 48th in the downhill and 53rd in the super-g.
 
Hugh McAdam took part in World Cup slalom events in Wengen and Adelboden in Switzerland but was unable to complete his run at both events.