Australia will compete in the Aerials Mixed Teams event for the first time at Milano Cortina 2026.
The Teams event debuted at Beijing 2022, with six nations taking part in the unique format. However, without a male aerial skier in Beijing, Australia was unable to compete, as teams cannot field three athletes of the same gender.
Article courtesy olympics.com.au / Images Copyright Chris Hocking
With Reilly Flanagan making his Olympic debut in the Men’s Aerials event on Friday 20 February, Australia will contest the Team event for the first time. Silver medallist Danielle Scott and finalist Abbey Willcox have been named alongside Flanagan in the Team.
Coming into the Team event just three days after winning her first Olympic medal, Scott said she’s excited to carry her career best form in the Team event.
“I wouldn’t be here without my Team around me and to now go into the next event I hope to put down another great performance,” Scott said.
“Anything can happen in a Team event, and we’ve got [mixed teams] medals before, so I’m pretty excited and we’ll bring our best.”
While Flanagan still has his individual event before he can focus on the Team event, he said he’s taking inspiration from his Flying Kangaroos teammates.
“The girls did an amazing job yesterday,” he said. “They literally just showcased how good and dominant we are in this sport.
“With Aerials typically being an individual sport, I feel very grateful to have my two teammates here and to be able to make history being part of Australia’s first Mixed Aerials Team at the Olympics.”
After finishing 10th at her debut Games, Willcox said she’s excited to get another chance to perform on the world’s biggest stage alongside her teammates.
“I love the Team event because it feels like we’re competing as one and we’re all in it together,” Willcox said.
“Before every comp jump, we always hype each other up and show our support and belief in each other.”
The Mixed Teams competition sees three athletes – with at least one male and one female – perform one jump each. Scores are combined to determine standings, with the top four teams from qualification advancing to the final under the same format.
While men often compete with a higher Degree of Difficulty (DD), offering greater scoring potential, the increased complexity also comes with greater risk on landing.
“Most countries will have two males and one female, but our Team will have one male and two females,” Willcox explained.
“Reilly and I will be going off the double kicker and Dani will go off the triple kicker.
“With a higher degree of difficulty comes more challenging jumps and that makes the Teams competition so interesting. Some nations will go big and they might crash out, and that’s when we sneak in with our tricks and cleanly landed jumps.”
The Aerials Mixed Team event will held on the final day of competition at Milano Cortina, Saturday 21 February, with the action underway from 8.45pm AEDT.
The Teams event debuted at Beijing 2022, with six nations taking part in the unique format. However, without a male aerial skier in Beijing, Australia was unable to compete, as teams cannot field three athletes of the same gender.
Article courtesy olympics.com.au / Images Copyright Chris Hocking
With Reilly Flanagan making his Olympic debut in the Men’s Aerials event on Friday 20 February, Australia will contest the Team event for the first time. Silver medallist Danielle Scott and finalist Abbey Willcox have been named alongside Flanagan in the Team.
Coming into the Team event just three days after winning her first Olympic medal, Scott said she’s excited to carry her career best form in the Team event.
“I wouldn’t be here without my Team around me and to now go into the next event I hope to put down another great performance,” Scott said.
“Anything can happen in a Team event, and we’ve got [mixed teams] medals before, so I’m pretty excited and we’ll bring our best.”
While Flanagan still has his individual event before he can focus on the Team event, he said he’s taking inspiration from his Flying Kangaroos teammates.
“The girls did an amazing job yesterday,” he said. “They literally just showcased how good and dominant we are in this sport.
“With Aerials typically being an individual sport, I feel very grateful to have my two teammates here and to be able to make history being part of Australia’s first Mixed Aerials Team at the Olympics.”
After finishing 10th at her debut Games, Willcox said she’s excited to get another chance to perform on the world’s biggest stage alongside her teammates.
“I love the Team event because it feels like we’re competing as one and we’re all in it together,” Willcox said.
“Before every comp jump, we always hype each other up and show our support and belief in each other.”
The Mixed Teams competition sees three athletes – with at least one male and one female – perform one jump each. Scores are combined to determine standings, with the top four teams from qualification advancing to the final under the same format.
While men often compete with a higher Degree of Difficulty (DD), offering greater scoring potential, the increased complexity also comes with greater risk on landing.
“Most countries will have two males and one female, but our Team will have one male and two females,” Willcox explained.
“Reilly and I will be going off the double kicker and Dani will go off the triple kicker.
“With a higher degree of difficulty comes more challenging jumps and that makes the Teams competition so interesting. Some nations will go big and they might crash out, and that’s when we sneak in with our tricks and cleanly landed jumps.”
The Aerials Mixed Team event will held on the final day of competition at Milano Cortina, Saturday 21 February, with the action underway from 8.45pm AEDT.
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