NSWIS snowboarder Adam Lambert capped off the FIS World Cup season in style, with gold at the final event of the season in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada. The victory is Lambert’s second of his career, giving him four podium finishes for the season, and a career‑high second place World Cup ranking.
 
Lambert was in outstanding form throughout the day in Mont-Sainte-Anne, winning all of his heats to progress to the big final and set up a Crystal Globe showdown with German tour leader Leon Ulbricht, who held a 42‑point advantage heading into the race. To claim the World Cup title, Lambert needed to win the final and Ulbricht to be fourth.
 
The big final was a very tight final race where Lambert timed his run perfectly. Utilising his renowned drafting skills, he made his move into the lead in the lower section of the course and held on to cross the line first. Ulbricht finished second to secure the Crystal Globe with 435 ranking points, 22 ahead of Lambert on 413, while Canada’s Evan Bichon rounded out the podium in third.
 
“Today we had so much draft out of turn five, we were really trying to be in a certain place coming into the last turn, this kind of course suits my riding style,” said the 28‑year‑old Lambert from Jindabyne in the NSW Snowy Mountains.
 
“I couldn’t be happier today, this is exactly what I needed to do to have any shot at the Crystal Globe. Ulbricht managed to pull out second place which is incredible for him, I am just happy that I did exactly what I wanted, I can’t complain at all.”
 
Abbey Wilson recorded a personal‑best eighth place in the women’s event, narrowly missing advancement to the big final in her first career semi‑final appearance after a photo finish decided by centimetres.
 
Milano‑Cortina Olympic champion Josie Baff was unfortunately taken out in her quarter-final by French rider Julia Nirani-Pereira, who received a penalty. The result saw Baff finish ninth on the day and close the season ranked fourth overall on the World Cup standings. Teammate Mia Clift placed 15th in the event and ended the season ranked eighth.
 
Also competing in the men’s event was James Johnstone, who recorded a personal‑best 21st.

​Australia’s combination of Josie Baff and Adam Lambert have narrowly missed a medal in the Mixed Team Snowboard Cross, finishing fourth. 

The Jindabyne riders showed why they are individually ranked world number one (Lambert) and two (Baff) by cruising through the quarterfinals and semifinals to line up in the big final. The Australian combination of Mia Clift and Jarryd Hughes finished eighth. 

Article courtesy olympics.com.au / Images Copyright Chris Hocking

The teams format sees four male riders race head-to-head, with four women then following in a staggered start based on time differentials. 

The Aussies blitzed their quarterfinal and finished second in their semifinal by a mere 0.04 seconds. 

In the first run of the medal race, Lambert’s board came into contact with Italian Lorenzo Sommariva, causing the Aussie to crash out. 

“I didn't actually get to make a decision, because the decision was made for me in the air,” he said of the contact. 

“My (board) nose mounted his (board) tail and his tail slipped out, and as his tail slipped out, I lost all contact with my toe side edge. So that's what sat me down.” 

Baff was left with an almost insurmountable mountain to climb – a four second handicap to start the final run. 

“I was in the (starting) gate thinking, wow, four seconds is a really long time!” Baff, the women’s individual gold medallist said. 

“But then as I dropped out of the gate, I knew that I was strong and my starts were way better today….

Anything's possible, and I'm going to trust that these three might have some contact lower down, and I want to be in that race if anything does happen. And I guess that was the mindset here.

“I don't ever give up, not until I cross that line,” the 23-year-old said.

Baff kept her hopes high for chasing them down, but with all riders staying on their feet, it was a gap too big for the Aussie to close, crossing the line in fourth. 

“I know Josie could have pulled back half a second. She probably could have pulled back a second and a half. She's been riding so well, but four seconds is just slightly too much,” Lambert said. 

Despite coming away from the Games empty-handed, the world number one kept his trademark cool-headed perspective. 

“It's a tough place to be - fourth at the Olympics, but we're also at the Olympics and we're also in the final. There's only so many people that get to be on the podium. And I'm proud to have been in the final to begin with,” Lambert said. 

Fellow Aussies Hughes and Clift had some courageous battles. In the opening race, Clift clawed back a 1.46 second deficit to finish second and the duo progressed to the semifinals. 

Hughes finished the semifinal in third, 1.27 seconds behind the eventual gold medallists from Great Britain.

While Clift clawed back some time, the Aussies finished third (+0.87 seconds) and settled for a run in the small final where they both crossed the line in fourth (+2.64 seconds). 

“Mimi rode incredibly. She brought us back from the death today, and the result we got is squarely on her,” Hughes said at the end of his fourth Games. 

“Unfortunately, I couldn't match her level of riding today and how well she was doing it. And I think she deserved much better today.”

Twenty-one-year-old Clift said the Team had drawn inspiration from Baff’s gold medal and Australia’s historic feats at Milano Cortina. 

“That’s bringing everyone’s vibes up… We want to put something down to match everyone else’s success,” Clift said. 

That closes out the Milano Cortina Snowboard Cross competition. It will be written into the history books as the first time Australia has won a gold medal in the sport, and Baff knows her world has changed. 

Baff ate six Weet-Bix for breakfast and the gold medallist with the killer-watt smile and iconic plaits hinted “I would love to be a Weet-Bix kid… Or I’d love a car!”

​Snowboard Cross rider Josie Baff has become the second Australian gold medallist at the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games.

The 23-year-old who is currently world number two on the FIS Snowboard Cross world rankings delivered an outstanding performance to come through today’s heats and land on top of the Olympic podium, becoming Australia’s eighth Winter Olympic champion.  

Article courtesy olympics.com.au / Images Copyright Chris Hocking

It is the first time since Vancouver 2010 that Australia has celebrated two gold medals at a Games following Cooper Woods’ mogul victory on Thursday. It is also Australia’s first women’s Snowboard Cross Olympic medal. 

“It's very amazing. I would like to say that I can't believe it… but I kind of can,” Baff said. 

“I feel like I deserve it. I've put in a lot of hard work, so I knew I could do it but to actually have the medal around my neck is very, very cool.  

“There's been a lot of sacrifice, a lot of sweat, a lot of tears – probably not as much blood – and it's definitely something that I've been working towards for a very long time and my team has been helping me achieve that every step of the way,” the Jindabyne local said.  

After placing 17th in the time trial, Baff had a nervous photo finish to progress through the quarterfinal. She pulled off a fantastic inside manouvre in the semifinal to go from third to first.  

In the Big Final, the 2020 Youth Olympic Games gold medallist was up against stiff competition with the 2014 Olympic champion Eva Adamczykova (Czech Republic) and 2018 Olympic gold medallist Michela Moioli (Italy) both in the final, alongside the 2024 Youth Olympic champion, Noemie Wiedmar (Switzerland). 

In the final, a mid-race move to take the lead over Wiedmar proved decisive as Baff held onto the lead for the reminder of the race to cross the finishing line in first place, with Adamczykova in second and Moioli in third.  

After an uncharacteristic error in the time trial which saw Baff sitting in the middle of the pack, she knocked out a number of her toughest competitors on her journey to the Big Final.  

“If you want to win, you have to beat everyone eventually anyway... so you have to be locked in from the get-go,” Baff said.  

"After I went through that first heat, I guess I kind of relaxed a little bit, and each heat after that gets progressively easier for me – I get into that headspace and I activate a different part of myself – the real competitor in me comes out.”  

Baff said seeing Cooper Woods' golden performance in the moguls the day before gave her extra motivation heading into her own event.  

“I know him and his family super well and seeing that yesterday definitely sparked a little fire in me. I thought if he can do it, I can do it too!"  

​Olympic debutant Abbey Willson bowed out in the round of eight and Mia Clift put in a strong performance but was not able to make it past the quarter finals.

While disappointed she couldn’t push into the later rounds herself, Clift said she was overwhelmed with admiration for her teammate, Josie. 

“She can do it all – strategy and technical – she's next level,” she said. “There were tears at the finish for sure, and I'm sure there'll be a lot more. 

“She's so hard working and such a nice girl. 

“I'm super happy for Josie, but definitely disappointed myself... it's not what I planned or expected." 

For 19-year-old Wilson, the rookie was pleased with her individual performance and relished the opportunity to celebrate with her sister and Australian Olympic teammate Charlotte (Moguls) on the finish line. 

“I've already had a little cry with my sister. She was the first person I talked to, and she came up to me and just said, ‘We're Olympians!'” 

“I'm very stoked that I got to debut with her and have our whole family here, because being Australian, they don't get to see us compete very often, so it's very special,” Wilson said. 

Australia’s Snowboard Cross Team will have another shot at a podium when two men and two women return for the Mixed Teams Snowboard Cross event on Sunday 15 February.

​IMAGE COPYRIGHT CHRIS HOCKING

NSWIS snowboard cross rider Adam Lambert has secured the first World Cup victory of his career and extended his lead in the World Cup standings on the second day of competition in Dongbeiya, China. The result gives him back‑to‑back podium finishes in China and his third straight podium to open the season, an encouraging sign with the Olympic Winter Games in Italy only weeks away.
 
Competing in the prestigious yellow leader’s bib for the first time in his career, Lambert delivered a strong performance in qualifying, securing sixth place to advance comfortably into finals.
 
In finals, Lambert opened strongly, winning his round‑of‑32 heat, placing second in the quarterfinals, and then taking first place in the semifinal to move through to the big‑final medal round.
 
In the big final, Lambert made an excellent start, exiting the first turn in second place behind Italy’s Lorenzo Sommarvia. He remained close behind the Italian for much of the race before using his drafting skills to move into the lead. He held that position to the finish in a tightly contested run, crossing the finish line in first just ahead of Austria’s Alessandro Haemmerle in second and the USA’s Nathan Pare in third, with Sommarvia fourth.
 
The long-awaited win came in Lambert’s 75th career World Cup start across individual and team events. Before today, Lambert had recorded eight career podium finishes but had not yet stood on the top step.
 
In the women’s event, NSWIS teammate Mia Clift delivered her strongest performance of the season so far, narrowly missing the podium after finishing fourth in the big final. The French team secured the top two positions, with Julia Nirani‑Pereira taking the win and Chloe Trespeuch second, while Charlotte Bankes of Great Britain was third.
 
Josie Baff also rode well, progressing to the semifinals before a third‑place finish moved her into the small final to contest positions five through eight. She went on to win the small final, and  fifth place overall.
 
“I came in today and yesterday with a pretty solid plan, and that was to not lead at the beginning, but finish first at the bottom, and I managed to execute that to perfection. I can’t believe it, I am so stocked,” said 28-year-old Lambert from Jindabyne in the NSW Snow Mountains.
 
When asked how important this victory is on the way to the Olympics and keep the momentum going:
 
“Of course it does, but it’s just important for me personally as an athlete who had been competing for so long, and this is my very first win and I am just so excited that it’s finally happened.”
 
Other Australian performances included Cam Bolton, who advanced to the quarterfinals and finished 16th, and James Johnstone, who placed 24th after reaching the round of 32. Abbey Wilson (31st), Jarryd Hughes (36th), and Declan Dent (51st) did not progress to finals.
 
Lambert’s victory elevates him to 220 points at the top of the World Cup standings, 59 points clear of Canada’s Eliot Grondin in second on 161. In the women’s standings, Baff sits in second place on 185 points, just four behind leader Charlotte Bankes on 189, while Clift is eighth on106 points.
 
The Australian Snowboard Cross Team now heads to Europe for training ahead of the Olympic Winter Games next month.

NSWIS snowboarders Josie Baff and Adam Lambert have each claimed their second consecutive podium of the season at the FIS World Cup Snowboard Cross event in Dongbeiya, China, with Baff taking silver and Lambert bronze. Their strong performances elevate the two athletes from Jindabyne in the NSW Snowy Mountains to first place in the World Cup standings, earning them the coveted yellow leader’s bib.
 
After qualifying sixth on Friday, Baff opened strongly in finals, winning her quarter-final and finishing second in her semi-final to progress to the big final.
 
In a tightly contested race, Charlotte Bankes of Great Britain won, with Baff taking silver and France’s Chloé Trespeuch third. This was the16th World Cup podium of Baff’s career.
 
Mia Clift featured in the small final, finishing seventh, her best result so far this season.
 
In the men’s event, Lambert overcame a challenging opening round of qualifying, advancing via the second run in 23rd place. Once in finals, he delivered a strong display, winning his round of 32 quarter-final, and semi-final, to secure his place in the big final medal round.
 
Victory in the men’s big final went to Austria’s Jakob Dusek, Canada’s Eliot Grondin second, and Lambert was third , his eighth World Cup podium.
 
Lambert commented after the race:
 
“The course in China is very short, very sharp, things are coming at you quickly here and you’ve got to be ready. I came in today with a plan I wanted to execute, and I managed to execute that plan. said 28-year-old two-time Olympian.
 
“For sure this feels like the best form of my career, but Boardercross is a cruel sport, and your luck can change on a dime. Of course, this gives me confidence going into the Olympic Games, but I need to stay grounded in the reality that I’ve got to work for every inch on the track. No freebies.”
 
On wearing the yellow bib for the first time in his career, Lambert added:
 
“Yes, it absolutely does feel like an honour. Obviously just two races into the season anything can happen but for now I will savour the feeling, and to do it at the same time as Josie who was my neighbour for most of my childhood is a special privilege.”
 
Other Australian results included Cam Bolton and Abbey Wilson progressing to the quarterfinals, with Bolton finishing tenth and Wilson achieving a personal best of 16th. Jarryd Hughes placed 23rd in his return from injury, James Johnston was 24th, and Declan Dent placed 52nd, missing the finals. Unfortunately, Amber Essex did not compete after sustaining a knee injury in training and will undergo further assessment after returning to Australia.
 
After two World Cup events, Baff led the women’s standings with 140 points, 10 ahead of Italy’s Michela Moioli on 130. In the men’s standings, Lambert sits atop with 120 points, holding a 10‑point advantage over Grondin.

The Olympic Winter Institute of Australia (OWIA) pays tribute to one of Australia’s most accomplished winter sport athletes, Belle Brockhoff, who has announced her retirement from Snowboard Cross competition.
 
Brockhoff concludes an extraordinary career spanning more than a decade at the top of Snowboard Cross and Australia’s first female World Cup winner,17 World Cup medals including four victories, a mixed team World Championship gold medal, together with three Olympic appearances highlighted by her near‑podium fourth‑place finish at the Beijing 2022 Games.
 
She proudly carried forward a legacy established by her uncle Peter Brockhoff, a dual Olympic alpine skier, Harold Brockhoff one of the original pioneers at Mt Buller, and great‑aunt Joyce Brockhoff, an Australian skiing champion.
 
Brockhoff first took to the snow on skis at age three before switching to snowboarding at ten and never looked back, winning an interschool national title just three weeks later.
 
She made her World Cup debut in 2010 in Parallel Giant Slalom before transitioning to Snowboard Cross in 2012. Her breakthrough moment came in 2016 with a World Cup victory in Baqueira Beret, Spain, the first ever by an Australian woman in the discipline. She later partnered with Jarryd Hughes to win the mixed team World Championship gold in 2021 at Idre Fjäll, Sweden. Brockhoff also finished in the top three of the World Cup standings three times, in 2016, 2017 and 2020.
 
In a statement shared with her community, the 33-year-old from Melbourne reflected on the significance of her journey.
 
“Snowboarding has given me so much over the years, but the one thing that I am most grateful for, has been the people. My family, friends, coaches, teammates, rivals and the supporters who pushed me to be better every single run. You’ve all given this sport its heart.
 
“For those who have been following, I have been rehabbing a complicated compound fracture in my wrist and a fractured L1 in the spine. I’ve rehabbed and trained hard all my life for many months but I know my body’s limits. It is with this and more than 20 years of snowboarding, that I know in my heart it is time to step away from competitive racing.
 
“I love snowboarding and I will still go riding, share the love of snowboarding with the next generation, and stay connected to this incredible community. But right now, the competitive chapter that has defined so much of my life has come to a close.”
 
OWIA CEO Geoff Lipshut praised Brockhoff’s exceptional contribution to Australian snowboarding and remarkable career.
 
“Belle is our pioneer Snowboard Cross woman, who showed Australian women can be the best in the world. The first female to win a World Cup medal, win a World Championship and her absolute fearlessness from day one when facing the best in the world.
 
“Belle is the trailblazer for the next groups of successful female snowboard cross athletes including Josie Baff, Amber Essex, Mia Clift and Abbey Wilson.
 
“Belle was one of those athletes who broke the mould and changed things around her. Her amazing fourth place at the 2022 Olympics was all her, the riding to get to the Olympic final was miraculous. The final did not work out or a medal, but an Olympic final and fourth place is a measure of Belle's competitiveness on every level.
 
“Belle has been an important OWIA athlete voice of a range of issues together with being a key partner athlete who always held up her end and executed her responsibilities.
 
“I wish Belle much success and happiness as she navigates her next step and stages of life.”

NSWIS snowboarders have opened the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup season strongly, with Josie Baff and Adam Lambert claiming bronze medals in Cervinia, Italy, under clear skies and the backdrop of the iconic Matterhorn.
 
Both riders from Jindabyne in the NSW Snowy Mountains delivered great riding throughout the day, with Baff securing her 15th career World Cup podium and Lambert earning his seventh.
 
After qualifying in second place on Friday, Baff opened strongly, winning her quarter-final before just edging out Austria’s Pia Zerkhold in a photo finish during the semi-final to advance to the big final.
 
In a very close medal race, victory went to France’s Lea Casta, with Italian Michela Moioli second 0.07 seconds behind and Baff third just 0.14 seconds off the win.
 
“I love the first race of the season, I am eager to get back racing and I want to beat all of the girls, so I think that’s a big motivating factor for me,” said 22-year-old Baff.
 
“I have been trying to work on qualifying higher, and I was really happy to come out with second yesterday and that meant I had my choice of gate all day in finals.
 
“My plan was to win the start section, but in the final I made a mistake in turn one and that cost me the lead, then I adapted pretty quick and try to get in the draft, and came down to all four us coming out of the second last turn so it was pretty wild and a good fight to the finish.”
 
Lambert impressed winning all of his early heats, culminating in the semi-final where he needed a brilliant late pass and his strong drafting technique to move from third to first. In the men’s big final, Lambert crossed the line in third behind French brothers Jonas and Aidan Chollet.
 
“Today was awesome, yesterday in qualifying the early runners can get a slower course and I made a mistake, so to be able to get the second run down (in 23rd), and then come out and prove to everyone that I was better than my number predicted, it’s awesome, I love it,” said 28-year-old Lambert.
 
“We were discussing last night in race strategy there was going to be a lot of draft out of turn five, and plenty of opportunities to gain speed, but overall it was pretty much decided at the finish line.”
 
Other Australians in action included NSWIS teammates Mia Clift and Cam Bolton, who reached the quarter-finals to finish ninth and 14th respectively. Missing the finals were Amber Essex (24th), James Johnstone (47th), Declan Dent (48th), Cameron Turner (52nd), and Abbey Wilson, who recorded a DNF in run two of qualifying.
 
The weekend racing in Cervinia concluded with the mixed team event, featuring Australia 1 (Lambert and Baff) and Australia 2 (Bolton and Clift).
 
Lambert and Baff progressed to the small final, crossing the line first to secure a fifth-place overall finish. Meanwhile, Bolton and Clift finished in ninth place.

IMAGES Adam Lambert and Josie Baff celebrate in Cervinia
© Chris Hocking

Mia Clift capped off an impressive breakthrough season with back-to-back podium finishes at the Snowboard Cross World Cup Final in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada, with a bronze medal performance overnight. This marks her third consecutive podium result, following a silver medal in the World Championship Teams event in Switzerland and silver and bronze in Canada over the weekend.
 
It was a strong finish from the Australian team which saw three other athletes join Clift in the top-10, with Adam Lambert fifth, Josie Baff sixth and Cameron Bolton ninth. All four riders also finished the season ranked in the top-10 on the World Cup standings.
 
Clift won her opening round of 32 heat and was second in the quarter-final to advance to the semi-final which featured teammate Josie Baff.
 
In a close semi-final, Clift crossed the line in second one place ahead of Baff to advance to the big-final, with Baff into the consolation small-final.
 
Clift was joined in the big-final by Sina Siegenthaler of Switzerland and French riders Lea Casta and Julia Pereira de Sousa. Casta who secured the World Cup Crystal Globe the previous day led from start to finish to make it back-to-back victories, with Siegenthaler passing Clift just before the finishing line to finish second and Clift in third.
 
In the men’s event Lambert won the men’s small-final to finish fifth and Baff was second in her small-final to finish sixth overall.
 
“The big final was a lot of fun with all the girls” said the 20-year-old Clift from Melbourne.
 
“I was third into turn two and then following Julia and I got her out of four and kept pushing to the finish and then followed Lea but got a bit crazy myself over the double feature and then kind of ruined it, but still got third so super happy.
 
“A lot of training, a lot of hard work and snowboarding at home in Australia coming up.”
 
Other Australian results included Cameron Bolton in ninth, James Johnstone 40th and Declan Dent 42nd.
 
Baff finished the season the highest ranked Australian in fourth, with Clift’s breakthrough season seeing her ranked eighth. In the men’s final rankings Lambert finished a career best sixth and Bolton was ninth.

Australia claimed its second medal at the 2025 FIS World Championships in St Moritz-Engadin, Switzerland, with a silver medal performance from the Australia 2 team of Mia Clift and Cameron Bolton in the mixed team event. The Australia 1 team featuring Josie Baff and Adam Lambert finished sixth.
 
The podium performance is 20-year-old Clift’s first international medal at the highest level, and the first World Championship medal for the 34-year-old Bolton.
 
Both Australian teams moved through the opening quarter-final round in second place to advance to the semi-finals.
 
In the semi-final, the Australia 1 team finished third in the opening semi-final, placing them in the small final and Australia 2 also finished in third, but was advanced to the big final after a controversial penalty for contact was given to female USA 1 team rider Acy Craig who had originally crossed the line in second, eliminating them from the competition.
 
In the big final, Clift and Bolton faced teams France 1, France 2 and Switzerland 1 and first to drop were the male riders with Bolton finishing in third, 0.54 seconds behind France 2.
 
Clift quickly made up the 0.54 second differential in a very impressive ride under pressure, battling the two French teams which featured the world’s number two and three ranked female riders. Clift passed France 2 by the halfway point of the course and in a tight battle with France 1 which saw both teams exchange the lead in the final section, with Julia Pereira De Sousa of France 1 crossing the line first, 0.20 seconds ahead of Clift, with Switzerland 1 finishing third.
 
Next for the snowboard cross athletes is the final World Cup of the year in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada, where a double event will take place on April 6 and 7. Baff is ranked fourth and Clift 10th on the women’s standings Bolton seventh and Lambert ninth in the men’s rankings.

NSWIS snowboard cross riders have claimed two silver medals at the World Cup in Montafon, Austria. Adam Lambert was second in the individual event and then joined with Josie Baff for another runner up placing in the mixed team event. The double podium performance gives great confidence for the Australian snowboard cross team heading into the World Championships this week in the iconic Swiss resort of St Moritz.
 
Lambert continued his great recent form to make it back-to-back individual World Cup medals, winning every heat from the round of 32 through to the semi-final to secure his place in the big-final.
 
In the big-final medal round, Lambert faced a difficult proposition against three French riders, Loan Bozzolo, Aidan Chollet and Merlin Surget. Lambert was mid-field for most of the final but worked his way into a strong position for the best run to the finish line, overtaking Chollet for second place and the fifth World Cup podium of his career. Bozzolo took the win, Chollett was third and Surgent fourth.
 
2023 World Championship silver medallist Josie Baff advanced through to her fourth big-final of the season, after crossing the line in second place in her quarter and semi-final heats. In the women’s big-final, Baff finished in fourth place, trailing French women Lea Casta in first, Julia Pereira de Sousa in second and Charlotte Bankes of Great Britain in third.
 
Other Australian results included Cameron Bolton 13th, Mia Clift 16th, Abbey Wilson 18th on debut, James Johnstone a personal best 24th, Jarryd Hughes 28th, Declan Dent 37th, Cameron Turner 46th on debut and Matthew Thomas 52nd.
 
Silver for Lambert and Baff in Mixed Team Event
 
In the mixed team event, NSWIS teammates Lambert and Baff combined for Australia’s second team’s medal of the season.
 
The pair moved through the quarter and semi-finals in second place to advance to the big-final against France 1, France 2, and Great Britain 1.
 
First to drop were the male riders and Lambert had a tough heat, almost crashing out in the middle section finishing fourth, 0.44 seconds behind leaders France 1.
 
Baff rode a super strong and fast leg in the final, making up the time differential from the men  early and then battling it out with the two French teams for the win. Baff fell just short of victory in a thrilling photo finish, missing the win by just three hundredths of a second to the France 2 team of Pereira de Sousa and Chollet. Rounding out the podium in third was the France 1 team of Casta and Bozzolo.
 
The two riders from Jindabyne in the NSW Snow Mountains were excited after  their first team medal together.
 
Lambert said, “anytime one of us is on the podium it means the world, it’s the reason we do this and seeing the hardwork paying off is amazing. Confidence breeds confidence, so coming into the World Championships with a few podiums has me believing I have what it takes to get on the box once again.”
 
Baff commented, “achieving another podium in the team event, this time with Lambo was so much fun, we’ve had a few races together already, the first being at the games and it’s very cool to see how far we have come. Going into world champs these two results give me confidence that no matter how the teams are constructed I believe the Aussie team/s will be up for the fight.”
 
Snowboard cross qualifying at the World Championships in St Moritz is on March 27 and the final the next day on March 28, then the mixed team event on the 29th. Representing Australia in the women’s event will be Josie Baff, Mia Clift, and Amber Essex and in the men’s event Adam Lambert, Cameron Bolton, Jarryd Hughes, and Declan Dent.

Triple Winter Olympian Belle Brockhoff has sustained a serious back injury after crashing on the weekend in a Snowboard Cross World Cup race in Georgia.
 
The Snowboard Cross rider was competing in her last race of the day on Saturday when she crashed at relatively high speed and landed on her coccyx.
 
Belle was airlifted from the course and taken to a Tbilisi hospital where examination and imaging revealed a fracture of the L1 vertebrae, with no neurological damage.
 
Belle was then evacuated to Greece for surgery.
 
A member of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia medical team is accompanying and supporting Belle. Belle’s partner has also flown to Greece to be with her.
 
After surgery it is expected that Belle will remain in Athens to rehabilitate for up to two weeks before returning to Australia.
 
Olympic Winter Institute of Australia CEO Geoff Lipshut said: “Currently our medical team are working with the medical emergency service personnel and the hospital in Greece to ensure that Belle receives the best care possible.”
 
“We will reassess options together with Belle following surgery over the next 48 hours.
 
“Belle is in good spirits, and I am very pleased that her partner has been able to fly to Greece to support her during this time,” he said.
 

NSWIS riders Adam Lambert (second on day one) and Cameron Bolton (fourth on day two) have recorded strong performances at the double World Cup event in Gudauri, Georgia, where there were crashes in both the men’s and women’s events on the fast and demanding course. Unfortunately leading Australian female riders Belle Brockhoff and Josie Baff both fell sustaining injuries.

Day One: Lambert claims first medal of the season
 
Adam Lambert has achieved his first podium performance of the season, finishing second in Gudauri, giving the 27-year-old from Jindabyne in the NSW Snowy Mountains the fourth World Cup podium of his career.
 
Lambert qualified in 15th for finals, and went on to have a sensational day of head-to-head racing winning his round of 32, quarter-final and semi-final to advance through to the top four big-final medal round.
 
In the big-final, Lambert was moving between second and third place for much of the race and was fortunately ahead of a crash on the final feature involving Eliot Grondin of Canada and Elias Leitner of Austria, leaving him in second place behind winner Jakob Dusek on Austria. Grondin finished in third and Leitner fourth.
 
“The men’s big final is always really competitive, I have had a few in my time, I would like to have more, but it’s always fun to race all day and not go out in the early rounds, so I am stoked,” said Lambert.
 
“I think tomorrow I can do what I did today, I don’t want to put any unnecessary pressure on myself, I feel if I race liked I raced today I have a good chance of doing it again, but anything can happen, it’s boarder cross.”
 
In the women’s event, French riders took out the top two places, with Julia Pereira de Sousa in first, Lea Casta second and Italian Michela Moioli in third.
 
Three-time Olympian Belle Brockhoff was in strong form qualifying in third place and made it through to the small-final. Unfortunately, Brockhoff suffered a crash and was taken away by the medical services team on course, ultimately finishing in eighth place. Brockhoff was moved to a hospital in Tbilisi, Georgia, where she is undergoing further assessment with the support of Australian team medical staff.
 
World number three Josie Baff also crashed in the first round of finals finishing ninth and suffering some bruising. NSWIS teammates Mia Clift were 10th and Amber Essex 26th.
 
Other results included Cameron Bolton ninth, Jarryd Hughes 25th, Declan Dent 37th, Matthew Thomas 48th and James Johnstone 50th.

Day Two: Bolton just misses podium
 
Three-time NSWIS Olympian Cameron Bolton was unlucky not to claim a podium performance after a great day of riding on day two in Gudauri, finishing fourth in a closely contested men’s big-final.
 
Bolton advanced through the rounds of 64, 32 and quarter-finals to reach the semi-final round, where he t had an impressive race to advance in first to the big-final medal round against Julien Tomas of France, Austrian Lukas Pachner and another Frenchman Loan Bozzolo.
 
In the big final, Bolton had the early lead but was passed by Pachner and then Tomas, and then with the pack close, Bolton and Bozzolo both went down near the end of the course. Tomas went on to win, Pachner was second and Bozzolo recovered from the crash to cross the line in third leaving Bolton in fourth and uninjured
 
In the women’s event, NSWIS World Championship medallist Josie Baff did not compete on day two, choosing to recover after her crash on the previous day, Mia Clift made it back-to-back top-10’s and Amber Essex was 19th.
 
Adam Lambert finished 18th, Declan Dent had a personal best 23rd, Jarryd Hughes 27th, Mathew Thomas 36th  and James Johnstone 39th.
 
After seven World Cup events, Baff is ranked third on the women’s standings, Clift is 10th, and Bolton is sixth and Lambert ninth in the men’s rankings.
 
The next World Cup is a double event in Montafon, Austria, on March 21 and 22.

Cameron Bolton and Josie Baff have combined to win Australia’s first ever World Cup gold medal in the snowboard cross mixed team event in Erzurum, Türkiye, giving Baff two medals for the weekend after finishing third in the individual event.
 
In the medal round, the Australia 1 team featuring Bolton and Baff were joined by teams Great Britain 1, Austria 1 and USA 2, the men were first to drop followed by the women.
 
Bolton had a great opening leg, leading from start to finish, crossing the line three hundredths of a second ahead of the USA, giving Baff a small lead heading into the final women’s run.
 
In the final run Baff also managed to maintain the lead from start to finish, holding off a strong challenge from Great Britain’s Charlotte Bankes to claim victory by four hundredths of a second. Rounding out the podium in third place was Austria.
 
“Cam and I had been wanting to be in a team for a while and he gave me the perfect amount of lead that I needed. I knew that if I had the track to myself, I was going to be hard to pass, so it worked out well for us today and we are really happy,” said Baff the 22-year-old from Jindabyne in the NSW Snowy Mountains.
 
“Really happy sharing a team with Josie, we are close friends and teammates. She is riding so well I just wanted to come out and make sure that I rode as well as I could and give her every opportunity to shine, and shine she did,” said the 34-year-old Bolton from the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.
 
Australia has now won mixed team gold medals at both the World Cup and World Championship levels, Belle Brockhoff and Jarryd Hughes were World Champions in 2021.
 
The Australia 2 team featuring Jarryd Hughes and Mia Clift finished in 13th.
 
Next for the snowboard cross riders is a World Cup double event in Gudauri, Georgia, on March 8 and 9.

In a double World Cup event in Erzurum, Türkiye, featuring first an individual and then a mixed team race, NSWIS rider Josie Baff made a great start to the weekend with her third podium of the season in a close final that went right to the finish line.
 
Racing under sunny skies on a long demanding course, Baff started strongly winning her quarter-final and then went through to the big final medal round after crossing the line in second place in the semi-final.
 
In the big-final, Baff was in third for most of the race but came close in the final stages to be just narrowly behind Lea Casta of France in second place by 0.12 seconds, and only 0.19 behind winner Charlotte Bankes of Great Britain.
 
“This has been the most demanding course so far on tour” said the 22-year-old Baff from Jindabyne in the NSW Snowy Mountains.
 
“The high altitude has really tested a lot of us with the base level around 2500m. The course was fast too, so I’m happy to end the day with another podium.
 
“Up next is the teams event tomorrow and I’ll be paired with Cam Bolton, so I’m really looking forward to that.”
 
Three other NSWIS teammates also made it through to the women’s quarter-final top-16 stage, Belle Brockhoff was 11th in her first event of the season returning from injury, Mia Clift 13th and Amber Essex 14th.
 
In the men’s event German Leon Ulbricht was victorious, Cam Bolton was Australia’s best riding through to the quarter-finals in 16th. In the round of 32 Jarryd Hughes was 19th and Adam Lambert 26th. Missing finals at the qualification stage were Declan Dent 35th, James Johnstone 41st and Matthew Thomas 49th.
 
After five events, Baff is ranked third on the standings with 310 points, trailing Casta in second on 365 and Bankes out in front on 450. Cam Bolton is fifth on the men’s standings.

NSWIS riders Josie Baff, Cam Bolton and Mia Clift have all finished in the top-eight at the Snowboard Cross World Cup event in Cortina D’Amprezzo, Italy, with Baff the highest placed, winning the small final to finish fifth.
 
Competing under lights in a night of spectacular racing, Baff and Clift both placed second in their respective quarter-finals to advance to the semi-final round. Baff and Clift unfortunately fell in their respective semi-finals, leaving them in the small-final to decide places 5-8.
 
In the small-final, Baff raced well crossing the line in first place and a final ranking of fifth, Clift eighth and Amber Essex was 12th after making it through to the quarter-finals.
 
Three-time Olympian Cam Bolton, won his opening round of 32 heat, was second in the quarter-final and just missed advancing to the big final after crossing the line third in the semi-final. In the small final Bolton was second across the line, giving him a final rank of sixth.
 
Also in finals for Australia was Jarryd Hughes and Adam Lambert who both made it through to the quarter final stage in 10th and 14th. In qualifications, James Johnstone was 40th, Declan Dent 44th and Matthew Thomas 58th.
 
Victory went to Charlotte Bankes of Great Britain in the women’s event and Frenchman Aidan Chollet claimed his first career win in the men’s event.
 
After four events Baff is third on the World Cup standings, Clift is eighth and Essex 10th. In the men’s standings Bolton is in fifth, Lambert 18th and Hughes 20th.
 
The next stop on the World Cup tour is in Erzerum, Türkiye, from February 28 to March 2, including the first mixed team event of the season.

NSWIS riders have competed in a double snowboard cross World Cup weekend in Beidahu, China, with Josie Baff leading Australia on both days of competition with a fifth place  and silver medal performance and personal best seventh place finishes to teammates Mia Clift and Amber Essex.
 
Day One: Baff fifth and Clift seventh in small-final
 
In the first World Cup event in Beidahu, three Australian women finished in the top-10, Baff in fifth, Mia Clift a personal best seventh and Amber Essex tenth.
 
Clift and Baff were drawn in the same quarter-final, advancing to the next round in first and second place. In a closely contested semi-final, Baff and Clift just missed by a small margin at the finish line to advance to the big-final, finishing third and fourth.
 
In the small-final to decide places five to eight, Baff and Clift both exchanged leads, with Baff moving away in the bottom of the course to cross the line first, while Clift was just pipped at the finish line in third.
 
Adam Lambert and Cam Bolton made it through to the top-16 quarter-final round, finishing in 12th and 13th place respectively. Jarryd Hughes was 18th, James Johnstone 39th and Matt Thomas 53rd.
 
Day Two: Baff rides to silver
 
Josie Baff capped off her double snowboard cross World Cup weekend at Beidahu, China, by securing a silver medal, her second silver of the season and eleventh podium of her career.
 
After winning the small final on the previous day, Baff made a great start on day two wining her opening quarter-final heat.
 
In a thrilling semi-final, Baff was in a close three-way battle with Italian Michaela Moioli and Manon Petit Lenoir of France. Baff led for the first half of the race before Moioli made a pass, leaving Baff and Petit Lenoir to battle it out for second across the line to advance to the big-final medal round. Momentum looked to be going the French rider’s way, but Baff found late speed to cross the line in second by 0.03 seconds.
 
In the big-final, Great Britain’s Charlotte Bankes led from start to finish to claim victory, with Baff in second, edging out Swiss rider Sina Siegenthaler by 0.07 seconds and Moioli in fourth.
 
“It’s definitely nice after yesterday, I had some fire in my belly, it was a good result, but I wanted more” said the 22-year-old Baff from Jindabyne.
 
“Two seconds in a row now, I really want to win, I hope I can get that soon, but I was really happy to share the podium with the girls.”
 
Riding to a personal best finish of seventh was 22-year-old Amber Essex in just her fifth World Cup start and NSWIS teammate Mia Clift was 10th.
 
In the men’s event, Adam Lambert was the best placed Australian in 10th, Jarryd Hughes was 13th, Cameron Bolton 25th and James Johnstone 52nd.
 
Canadian Eliot Grondin won both men’s events in Beidahu. 

After three World Cup events, Baff is ranked equal second on the women’s standings, Clift in ninth and Essex 11th. Bolton is the highest ranked Australian on the men’s standings in eighth.
 
The next World Cup will take place in the future 2026 Olympic region of Cortina d'Amprezzo, Italy, on February 15.

At the opening FIS snowboard cross World Cup event in Cervinia, Italy, it was a double podium celebration for Australia, with Baff and Bolton finishing in second place, giving the NSWIS riders their tenth and ninth World Cup medals respectively.
 
Baff qualified in sixth place, and in the finals made it through the quarter-final round in second, then led from start to finish in the semi-final to secure her spot in the big-final medal round.
 
In the big final, Baff was just behind French rider Lea Casta for most of the race, before Baff closed in at the finish to only narrowly fall short by 0.05 seconds on the finish line. Rounding out the podium in third place was Maja-Li Iafrate Danielsson of France.
 
“My game plan for today was just to get out in front, and hope that nobody could catch me, as I knew on a course like this it could get interesting with the girls” said the 21-year-old from Jindabyne
 
“I definitely had some nerves in the first heat, and then I came into my real snowboarding in the semi-final and big-final. I really thought I could get the win in the end but Lea was just too fast and on point today, and I am happy for her to get her first career World Cup win.”
 
In the men’s event, Bolton qualified for finals in 21st place, and then raced well all day, winning his opening round heat and quarter-final, and was second in the semi-final to advance him in the big-final.
 
In the big final Bolton did well to stay clear of a mid-race near collision between reigning World Cup champion Eliot Grondin of Canada and Jacob Dusek of Austria which took Grondin out of the race. Dusek led Bolton for the remainder of the race to take the win, with Bolton’s silver medal his first career podium in Cervinia, Italian Lorenzo Sommariva was third.
 
“Another event in Cervinia and another couple of podiums, happy for Josie and nice to share the podium with her” said the 34-year-old Bolton from the Mornington Peninsula.
 
“Tricky day of racing, it was tight and all the boys were riding well, I struggled in training but then it was good in finals. I actually had some trouble in the semi-final and had a back spasm and wasn’t sure I was even going to be able to ride the finals, so super happy to come away with a second place.”
 
“Great start to the season and great event for Australia.”
 
Also in action for Australia were NSWIS teammates Amber Essex in 11th in a personal best finish, Mia Clift 14th, Jarryd Hughes in 31st, Adam Lambert 46th, and Matt Thomas 55th.

The next Snowboard Cross World Cup will take place on January 31 to February 2 in Beidahu, China.

NSWIS snowboard cross riders Cam Bolton and Josie Baff have finished the season impressively at a double World Cup event in Mont Saint Anne, Canada, where Bolton claimed silver medals on both days and bronze for Baff on day two after just missing a medal on day one.

Bolton finished the season in a career best ranking of third on the World Cup standings, while in the women’s standings Baff just missed her career best ranking, finishing in fourth place with teammate Belle Brockhoff sixth.

Bolton won each round of the finals to advance to the big-final, where he would face off against world number one Eliot Grondin of Canada who had already secured the World Cup Crystal Globe for the season. In the big-final Grondin led from start to finish to take the gold, with Bolton making two impressive passing moves down the course to claim the silver in a photo finish where he edged out German Leon Ulbricht in third.

For Bolton, the silver medal was his fourth podium of the winter and ended his season in career best form.
“First time for sure in the top-3 (on the standings), and these things are pretty hard to win, so very happy to come away with it” said the 33-year-old from the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.

“Always tricky to back up the second race in a double event, but the sun has come out and the course is maintained so well and an absolute pleasure to race today and was able to come up and put in a pretty good performance and happy with my result and of course the overall.”

Also in action in the men's event was Adam Lambert, who won the small-final to finish in fifth place on day one but was well back in 32nd on day two.

In the women’s event on day one, Baff just missed the podium in fourth place, with Mia Clift making it through to semi-finals for the first time in her career in eighth and Belle Brockhoff in ninth.

On day two Baff and Brockhoff both made it through to the semi-final stage, where Baff won her semi-final to advance to the big-final, while Brockhoff just missed in third. In the small final to decide places five to eight, Brockhoff was also third and finished in seventh.

The women’s big-final featured the top four in the world, and it did not disappoint with tight racing to the finish line. Charlotte Bankes of Great Britain took the victory ahead of Italian Michela Moioli in second and Baff third, to just finish ahead of world number one, Chloe Trespeuch of France.

Baff now has nine World Cup career podiums, five coming this season.

“It was super-fun, I really wanted to do one better after yesterday (fourth place), and I managed to do that, I would have loved something more, but I am very satisfied with the third” said the 21-year-old from Jindabyne in the NSW Snowy Mountains.

“It was super tight racing with all of the girls, and I think we all showed our best riding and wanted to give it our best for the last two races of the season.”

Trespeuch of France finished first on the women’s World Cup standings on 792 points, followed by Bankes on 757, Moioli 704 and Baff 608.

19-year-old Mia Clift from Melbourne was awarded the FIS Snowboard Cross female rookie of the year, after a promising first full World Cup season, which included a personal best finish of eighth on day one in Mont Saint Anne, and a final ranking of 19th on the standings.

Canadian Eliot Grondin ended well ahead in the men’s standings to finish on 952 points, Austrian Alessandro Haemmerle was second on 604, and Bolton third with 552. Adam Lambert finished the season ranked 12th and Jarryd Hughes was 30th after missing the final three events due to injury.

NSWIS rider Josie Baff has continued her consistent from across the 2023-2024 FIS World Cup season, with a double bronze medal performance in Montafon, Austria. Baff has now claimed four medals this season and is currently ranked fourth on the FIS World Cup standings with two events remaining.

On the first day of World Cup competition at the Austrian resort, Baff moved through to the big-final after advancing through each heat in second place. In the big-final Baff crossed the line in third, behind event winner Michela Moioli of Italy, with Charlotte Bankes of Great Britain the runner up.

In the second and final day in Montafon, Baff this time won every heat to make it through to the big-final, crossing the line in the bronze medal position to claim the eighth World Cup podium of the 21-year-old from Jindabyne’s career. Finishing ahead of Baff on the podium was Chloe Trespeuch of France with the gold medal with American Lindsey Jacobellis in silver.

Belle Brockhoff finished in 13th place on day one, then improved to reach the small-final on day two, to finishin sixth place which is also her current World Cup ranking.

19-year-old Mia Clift had two personal best performances, firstly in qualifying advancing to finals in fifth, and then finishing in ninth place on day one. On day two Clift placed 16th.

In the men’s competition, Adam Lambert was the best performed with a fifth place finish on day one, while Cam Bolton the highest placed on day two in ninth.

Unfortunately, Jarryd Hughes had a fall on day one while finishing 32nd, and forcing him out of the second day event.
Bolton is the highest ranked male on the standings in a career best third, with Adam Lambert still aiming to finish in the top-ten and improve on his current ranking of 11th.

The final competition of the World Cup season will take next weekend at Mont Saint Anne in Quebec, Canada, with two events scheduled for March 23 and 24.