GRETA SMALL
Olympic Winter Games Attended
BIOGRAPHY
Greta Small is Australia’s top female Alpine skier who began her sport on plastic skis as a two-year-old, and went on to become the Australian Flagbearer at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria in 2012, notching up seventh in the Slalom and Super G events and 13th in the Giant Slalom and Super Combined.
Building upon her Youth Olympic experience, Small went on to win the 2013 Giant Slalom Far East Cup in Korea and was the second-youngest competitor in the field at her debut World Championships in 2013 in Schladming, Germany, finishing 25th in the Super Combined event in a field of over 100 competitors. 2013 also delivered a silver medal at the Junior World Championships in Quebec, Canada in the Super G and bronze in Slalom in the U18 division and saw her debut on the World Cup circuit before qualifying for the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games at just 18-years-old. Small - Australia's first female Alpine World Cup competitor since Jenny Owens in 2004 – competed in a heavy schedule of Olympic events, which included a 15th place in Super Combined and a 29th in Downhill. Competing in all five disciplines at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, Small was the second youngest in the field by eight days. At the 2015 World Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek, CO, USA, Small recorded an 18th place performance, the highest by Australian at the event. Following the finish of the racing season in April 2015, surgery was required for an injured knee which required a twelve-month recovery before a return in early 2016. The Alpine talent with an impeccable work ethic recovered and resumed comprehensive racing in Japan in March 2016, the domestic Australian/New Zealand circuit, European FIS races and the Far East in China, collecting a gold medal for Slalom in Sainte Foy Tarentaise, France (January 2017) and two silvers at Wanlong Ski Resort, China for Giant Slalom (December 2016). Her season came to a close at a Korean Olympic test event in January 2016 after placing fifth in Slalom at Yongpyong Resorts with the recurrence of a knee injury. Small returned to competition in late 2017 immediately lining up against the finest skiers on the planet in World Cup events in Lake Louise and St Moritz. Competing in her second Olympic Winter Games, Small was again the stand out Australian Alpine Skier competing in the speed events and alpine combined. Her 20th place finish at PyeongChang in the Downhill was Australia's best ever result by a woman in the discipline at an Olympic Winter Games. At the 2019 Alpine World Championships in Are, Sweden, Small had three top thirty results, with the highlight being a 20th place finish in the Alpine combined event. Small also had a personal best World Cup finish during the 2018-2019 season, with a 22nd place Alpine combined result in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Unfortunately Small suffered a major knee injury at the end of the 2019 international season, which has ruled her out of competing during the 2019-2020 race season. In 2020-2021, Small made a successful return from injury to major competition, with the highlight being a personal best performance at the 2021 World Championships, finishing in 15th place in the alpine combined event. Small's best performance in the 2021-2022 World Cup season have come in the downhill, where she finished in 41st place in Zauchensee, Austria, and also in Val d'Isere, France. Competing in her third Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China, Small had a personal best Olympic result of 13th in the alpine combined event, the best result of an Australian alpine skier at the games. Small also took part in the downhill (13th) and super-g (31st). Small has opened Australia's campaign at the 2023 FIS Alpine World Championships, competing in the speed and alpine combined events at the French Alps resorts of Courchevel and Meribel, the fifth World Championships of her career. First up for the NSWIS skier was the alpine combined, which combines the times from a super-g and slalom run. Small was 26th in the super-g and then finished the slalom in 17th, giver her a final two-run combined placing of 16th overall. In the super-g event, small finished 27th, 3.77 seconds behind event winner Marta Bassino of Italy. The final event for Small was the downhill, where she achieved a personal best World Championship result in the discipline, finishing 24th. In the 2023-2024 season, Small had a challenging year, with multiple World Cup events cancelled due to bad weather on the day of the event. Small took part in the downhill event in Val d’Isere, France, finishing in 48th place, and in mid-January competed in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee placing 54th int he super-g and 43rd in the Downhill. In late January Small unfortunately suffered a season ending broken hand injury, whilst training for the World Cup in Cortina d'Amprezzo, Italy. Small is now fully recovered, and can resume on snow training during the Southern Hemisphere winter. Q & AChildhood Ambition:
FIS Crystal Globe Winner Proudest Moment: Leading the Olympics for a short time during the Super Combined at Sochi 2014! I began this sport .... on little plastic skis at Mt Buffalo when I was two-years-old, although I didn’t take up racing until 2005 when I started in the Australian Children’s race series. Participation in other sports: 2020 COVID project getting into cycling! Favourite overseas competition and why: Love racing in Cortina the heart of the Dolomites! Sports Hero: Lindsey Vonn, Ilka Stuhec When I am not training/competing I am: Studying Uni, learning French, doing something creative! Highest level of education achieved: Current - Bachelor of Communication in Business & Media Sponsors: Astra Falls Creek, Kastle, Shred, Komperdell, Level Gloves. LINKSOWIA News Search: Additional Links:
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