​Freeski superstar Indra Brown has shown maturity and skill well beyond her years, finishing fifth in the Women’s Freeski Halfpipe on the final day of competition at Milano Cortina 2026. 

After a snowstorm forced the postponement of the final originally scheduled for Saturday night, Brown finally got her moment in the sun – quite literally competing under warm bluebird skies on Sunday morning. 

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The 16-year-old landed three clean runs in the pipe, progressively adding more technical tricks each run. She said she was saving her best run for last – pulling out a run she’d never landed in competition before, to score 87.00. 

“I tried to build every run to try and up my score, which I did,” Brown said. 

“Then on my last run, I was able to land a left cork nine blunt, right cork nine safety, left cork 10 safety switch, right five Japan, left cork seven, and then left alley-oop five mute. 

“I’m stoked on that run, I've never put it down in competition, so I was really happy to.” 

Brown’s fifth place result is the second-highest finish for an Aussie Winter Olympic teenager in history, only behind two-time Olympic Champion Jakara Anthony who placed fourth as a 19-year-old in her moguls debut in 2018. 

As the youngest member of Australia’s 2026 Winter Olympic Team – and also the competitor that has had to wait the longest to compete – Brown said she was ready to put on a show in Livigno. 

“Oh, it's incredible. You know, to be able to land three runs at the Olympics is pretty special,” the Melbournian said. 

“I just wanted to come out here and show everyone what I could do, so by doing that and getting this result, it’s just amazing.” 

Defending Olympic champion Eileen Gu (CHN) won her sixth Olympic medal and first gold of Milano Cortina, putting down a massive third run to score 94.75. It’s her third medal of the Games, adding gold to her slopestyle and big air silver medals. Gu’s compatriot Fanghui Li won silver (93.00) narrowly ahead of Great Britian’s Zoe Atkin in third (92.50). 

Gu was the first person to run over to Brown after she landed her successful third run and congratulate the Aussie teen on a fantastic Olympic debut. 

“We just gave each other a big hug, she was really proud for me,” Brown said. 

“It’s really cool, she saw that I idolised her, so to have her give me a hug at the end of my last round of the Olympics is pretty special.” 

Brown won’t have long to soak in her achievements, jumping straight on a plane to represent Australia at the 2026 FIS Park & Pipe Junior World Championships in Calgary, Canada which get underway next week. 

When she eventually returns back home to Melbourne, she said she’s looking forward to seeing all her school mates. 

“I think it'll be pretty sweet to see all my friends, they're really happy for me, so it'll be really cool.”

Sixteen-year-old Indra Brown has lit up Livigno Snow Park on debut, storming into the Women’s Freeski Halfpipe Final with two clean, confident runs that earned her fourth place in qualifying

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

Brown’s second run score also edged out defending Olympic Champion – and friend – Eileen Gu, who qualified in fifth with 86.50 from run two, after a fall in her first run. 

Heading into her first Olympic final, Brown said she just wants to “go out there and try and enjoy myself.” 

“You know, not put any pressure or any thoughts of a certain result. I want to just go out there, ski my first Olympic finals at my first Olympics and enjoy it, because, you know, it's something that doesn't come very often.” 

While she wouldn’t reveal if she was holding any new tricks up her sleeve for the final, Brown said she’s excited to put on a show for her family in Livigno – including her parents, three siblings and grandma - and her friends and schoolmates cheering her on from back home. 

“I'm so grateful for [my family] and really excited that they were able to see me ski today. 

“My friends have been messaging me all week, they're just super supportive and pumped for me, so it just makes it even better when I go back home and they're all excited to see me.” 

The Women’s Freeski Halfpipe Final will be the final event at Livigno Snow Park, to be held under lights on Saturday 21 February, from 7.30pm CET time (5.30am AEDT Sunday 22 February). 

​Ally Hickman put in a brave performance in the Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Final to round out her Olympic debut.

The 16-year-old Sydney schoolgirl laid down a seamless opening run to score 67.70 and sit in fourth position after the first of three runs.  

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The wind picked up in her second run and Hickman fell on a top rail, injuring her sternum and was unable to complete the course. She was attended to by medical staff and bravely returned to the top for a third run.  

Hickman’s final run in the best-of-three format was super clean run from the top, but she could not land her front 10 given her speed into the last jump. She landed too high on the knuckle and didn’t have enough time to rotate, rolling down the landing.

Japan won gold and bronze with Mari Fukada in first (87.83), New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski Synnott second (87.48) and Kokomo Murase third (85.80). 

Hickman was embraced by a group of teammates at the end of her remarkable Olympic debut. 

Hickman – a newcomer to the world stage – finished seventh in her first Olympic final. This follows her 15th place finish in Big Air earlier in the Games.   

The second youngest member of Australia’s 2026 Winter Olympic Team, Ally Hickman, has qualified for the Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Final, finishing sixth in Sunday’s heats.

The 16-year-old delivered a clean and composed opening run at Livigno Snow Park, scoring 71.41. With windy conditions challenging riders throughout the session, particularly on the jumps, her first run score held firm across the second run and secured her place in the top12 final.

Article courtesy olympics.com.au

The teenager said her plan was to put down a safe, reliable opening run.

“I’m so happy, it was such an amazing event,” Hickman said.

“First run, I was just trying to keep it safe, just laying a score on the board and it’s gotten me to finals which is so good.”

While the slopestyle course was daunting at first, Hickman said it quickly began to feel more natural under her board.

“First look, it was very daunting, but hitting the course, it flowed really well,” she said.

“The jumps today were a bit windy and we couldn’t really clear them as well. But they ended up working pretty nicely.”

Having played is ‘safe’ in qualifying, Hickman said she plans to up the ante for finals.

“I want to land my best run, the run that I’ve been dreaming about to land in the Olympics for a while now. It should be such a good final.”

Fellow Australians Mela Stalker and Tess Coady finished 22nd and 27th respectively, with scores of 47.36 and 38.95.

Stalker said she has been struggling on the course this week, so made the decision the night before the competition to change up her run. A change that brought her a lot of enjoyment in competition today.

“Today was an awesome day, I actually enjoyed riding the course today, which has been a struggle all week, so I was pretty happy about that,” the 22-year-old said.

“I changed up my run last night, so it was a bit interesting getting into it today.

“I love playing around with the rails and making it fun, and I really struggled with that this week, and it was really getting to me.

“Trying to find a run that I’d be proud of and actually enjoy was the hardest part because these rails are either massive or really chill.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t get me on the right path today, but that’s okay, I enjoyed riding it…. That’s what it’s about, it’s about actually enjoying what we’re doing.”

Ally Hickman will return for the Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Finals on Tuesday 17 February (11pm AEDT)

​Five-time Olympian Scotty James has added another Olympic medal to his collection, winning silver in the Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe in one of the most impressive Halfpipe finals in history.
 
James is now the most decorated Australian Winter Olympian having won bronze in PyeongChang, silver in Beijing and now silver in Milano Cortina. He is the only Winter Olympian with three medals.   

Article courtesy olympics.com.au / Images Copyright Chris Hocking
 
“To be the most medal-winning Aussie Winter Olympian is amazing, it’s special to be able to accomplish that,” James said.
 
“To have done it over that many years, it’s freaking hard to say the least, just to show up here and be competitive is hard.”
 
With James’ silver following Josie Baff’s Snowboard Cross gold earlier in the day, it becomes the most successful day in Australian Winter Olympic history.
 
“It's unbelievable to be a part of, and obviously I was watching them [Josie Baff and Cooper Woods] inspired, wanting to do the same.
 
“For Australian Winter sport, we're heading in the right direction and it's been amazing to be part of it.”
 
In an epic final where the best of three runs counts, James narrowly missing the landing on his first run.
 
His second run started with a near-perfect cab 1440 triple cork and finished with an impressive backside 1440 to score 93.50 and put him in the silver medal position. 
 
His third and final run kicked off with a 1440 to a frontside 1260, then delivered a clean backside 1080 double cork, but James just missed the landing on his backside 1620. 
 
Japan’s Totsuka Yuto landed a 95.00 on his second run that could not be beaten, with his countryman Yamada Ryusei rounding out the podium with a score of 92.00 to take bronze.
 
James said that while it was the gold he was hunting for, he was proud to have put everything into his performance and win another silver medal.
 
“At the end of the day it's not exactly the result I wanted, but I don't go up there for the results,” he said.
 
“I absolutely love it and I didn't start this for potentially winning a medal or not. I did this because it's my passion, my life.
 
“In the next 24-hours, I’ll probably have a bit of a cry, but I’ll be happy as well because representing the country and winning a medal is unbelievable and I'm really proud of that.
 
“I'll wake up and still be thinking of what I'm going to do on my board and looking forward to the next opportunity. I look forward to many more battles in the halfpipe.”
 
Coming into the Games, James was vocal about his goal to push the sport beyond its limits and said he was determined to try a 1620 (an extra half rotation) on the world’s biggest sporting stage.
 
“I potentially could have done it with a 14[40], but for myself I had to do the 16[20], I wanted to push it, that’s what I was here to do, regardless of the result.
 
“It was really going to be for me that run, but I’ll have to keep pushing it in the future.”

Valentino Guseli also impressed in the pipe under lights, placing fifth – one better than his Beijing 2022 result.
 
In his first run, Guseli wowed the crowd as he launched a massive 6.1M out of the pipe.
 
In this third and final fun, the 20-year-old kicked off with an alleyoop backside 360 at 5.6M, only to soar 5.8M out of the pipe on his second hit. Putting down a clean run that ended with a switch backside 1260, Guseli scored 88.00 - a run that would have seen him claim the bronze at Beijing 2022.
 
“That kind of finals pressure in the Olympics is massive and I think everyone felt it a little bit, Yuto managed to feel it the least and put down the best run,” Guseli said.
 
“I definitely think I could have ridden better... I still believe if I did my best snowboarding I could have won, but I didn’t and that’s the nature of the game.
 
“The standard was huge tonight, it was the biggest comp of all time, it was insane.”
 
With an exceptionally high standard of riding, the top-six athletes in Milano Cortina all put down runs what would have won medals four years ago in Beijing.
 
“It’s been crazy watching the progression over the many years and Olympics that I've gone to, it’s been amazing,” James said.
 
"I don't think the progression has been that rapid in 12 months ever. There were times where I was like, ‘I hope it slows down’ but it didn't.
 
“I'm pushing it, they're pushing it, so I'm as equally responsible, but it's been cool to be a part of it.”

Article courtesy olympics.com.au

With dominant opening runs, Scotty James and Valentino Guseli have both secured their place in the Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe finals. 

James was the eighth rider to drop in and wasted no time launching into massive 1440s to put down an opening run score of 94.00 – a score that remained at the top of the scoreboard for the 40 runs that followed. 

His second run wasn’t as clean, but with his mission accomplished, it locked him in as the top-ranked qualifier, meaning he will drop in last in the 12man final. 

“I wanted to come out and put my best foot forward to try and qualify first,” the five-time Olympian said. 

“I feel like being in that position in the final is a really good place to be – you can be a little bit more mindful and strategic in the approach when it comes to the competition on Friday.  

“I pushed it a little bit more in qualies than I usually would with the Switchback 14 and I was really happy to execute it. It’s going to be an exciting final." 

Guseli also impressed, delivering two strong and consistent runs – an 86.75 followed by an 86.25 – to comfortably qualify in sixth place. 

“I put down two runs and I did the first triple that I’ve done in a comp in a really long time, so that felt good and I’ll hopefully clean the last run up for finals,” the 20-year-old said. 

“I did the triple tonight, so it was good to get it out of the way… and then there’s maybe two more tricks I’d like to put into my run if all goes well. 

“If I can do them, it will leave me in a position I want to be, so I just hope that I can do that.” 

The standard for the men’s Halfpipe qualifications was exceptional, with the top riders laying down scores that could have podiumed in Beijing four years ago. Japan’s Yuto Totsuka (91.25), Ryusei Yamada (90.25) and Ruka Hirano (87.50), along with America’s Alessandro Barbieri (88.50), joined James and Guseli inside the top six. 

“That qualies was like a final,” Guseli said. “So the finals are just going to be insane, it’s going to be the biggest show ever.” 

James agreed, saying the standard of the early riders pushed him to elevate his own opener. 

“It was unbelievable riding from everyone – the Japanese of course, Valentino rode amazing, Cam [Campbell Meville Ives] from New Zealand. The whole field was pushing it, so I was standing there thinking, ‘well, if I want to go where I want to go – position wise – I need to turn up the dial a bit’ and I was able to pull off a good run,” the 31-year-old said. 

“From a competitive standpoint, halfpipe riding in the Olympics is the most competitive it’s ever been. I think the top six can all win, and I don’t think that’s been the case before, it’s usually been one or two people that have the chance to win, so I think this time around it’s going to be an amazing battle.” 

While he plans to pull out all the stops for the final, Guseli said James was the one to beat, but the “Japanese guys have got more in the tank as well.” 

“For the first time in quite a long time in halfpipe, it could almost be anyone’s game, but Scotty’s got some stuff that’s pretty insane and hard to beat,” he said. 

“I know if I do my best stuff, I could potentially be up there. 

“It’s going to be crazy and it’s hard to speculate – all you can do is watch and see what happens and enjoy the show.” 

While James remained tight lipped on if there were any tricks in his bag he’s yet to perform for an audience, he did promise he’s going to try to do something special. 

“On Friday, I'm going to try and pull off the best run of my life, and I think that's what it's gonna take to win.” 

Scotty James and Valentino Guseli will compete in the Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe Finals under lights on Friday night (from 5.30pm AEDT on Saturday 14 February). ​

IMAGE TOP - Scotty James
IMAGE BOTTOM - Valentino Guseli
COPYRIGHT CHRIS HOCKING

18-year-old Amelie Haskell made her Olympic debut alongside 26-year-old Emily Arthur competing at her third Games. 

The Sydney snowboarders took to the halfpipe under cloudy conditions in Livigno without their third “Aus Girls” amigo 

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

Misaki Vaughan who was ruled out yesterday with concussion.  
 
In the best-of-two run format, the Aussies did not make the top 12 to progress through to finals, with Haskell finishing 20th and Arthur 24th.  

Haskell’s first run was clean, getting good air on her opening backside air, followed by a frontside 540 tail grab. She then went for a front 720 double grab and cab 540 mute for a score of 41.75. It was her best run of the day after she could not land her frontside double grab in her second run and slid out. 

“Going into my second run, my coach was just like ‘go as big as you can' and just show everyone you can go super dooper big!’ So that was kind of the mission,” Haskell said. 

While she did not nail the trick, Haskell fed off the Olympic energy.  

“Seeing the crowd for the Olympics is unreal - it's such a big event,” the Olympic debutant said. 

“Seeing the Olympic rings at the top of the pipe was just crazy. I was like: oh my gosh, I'm here… It's surreal.” 

Arthur’s start was far from what she hoped for, coming down after her opening backside hit. She lined up for her second run knowing everything was on the line and gave it her all.  

“I went for it,” Arthur said of her most impressive backside nine-hundred trick.  

“I didn't really come here to come 13th. I've already done that twice now, so I just kind of went for it. It was kind of a risk, but I made that call two months ago.  

Unfortunately, it was not to be and she missed her landing, but Arthur’s sunny disposition shone through.  

“If I landed, I would have made finals. So I'm glad I went for the risk. It didn't work out today but I'm proud of myself,” she said.  

All eyes turn to the men’s Snowboard Halfpipe qualifiers tonight featuring Valentino Guseli – who was on site watching the women’s qualifiers – and  Scotty James. 

Catch Scotty James and Valentino Guseli in the Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe Qualifiers at Livigno Snow Park from 5.30am AEDT on Thursday 12 February. Finals will be held at 5.30am AEDT on Saturday 13 February.  ​

IMAGE - Amelie Haskell launching out of the Livigno pipe

Aussies Tess Coady and Mela Stalker have soared to top 10 finishes in the Women’s Big Air final, placing seventh and tenth respectively in a world-class field.

Coady’s seventh place marks the best result ever recorded by an Australian in Olympic Big Air, improving on her ninth place from Beijing 2022.

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

Entering the 12 rider final ranked 12th, the three-time Olympian said she felt free to simply enjoy the moment.

“I didn't really have any expectations because I guess I was already in 12th, so it's kind of like anything you can do is a bonus from there,” the 25-year-old said.

“Going into the runs, I just wanted to land some stuff, feel good, and make it look good.”

Leading off the competition, Coady opened with a 70.00 for a backside double 1080 with melon grab. She followed with 61.00 for a switch backside 900 with mute grab, sitting in fifth place heading into the final jump, but was unable to improve her scores, finishing with a total score of 131.00.

Olympic debutant Stalker came out firing in the final, scoring 72.50 for her backside double 1080 with mute grab. She was unable to replicate the execution on her next two runs, scoring 35.00 for a frontside 1080 to finish with 107.50.

While disappointed not to put down three clean runs, Stalker said the night left her more inspired than ever.

“To ride with the best of the best was pretty awesome. Unfortunately, I couldn't put it down but I’m pretty stoked, it's been an awesome experience, that's for sure,” the 22-year-old said.

“It’s definitely the most intense competition I’ve been in… the most high-end competition I’ve been a part of. To be here and watch the girls send it and give it their all has been insane. 

“I didn't think I'd get this far tonight, so I'm pretty happy to be a part of it and really embrace watching everybody and seeing where I can get to.”

The women’s field pushed the sport to new heights, led by Japan’s Murase Kokomo, who delivered two 1440s for the top scores of the night. She opened with a backside triple cork 1440 mute grab – the highest scoring jump of the competition at 89.75 – and closed with a frontside 1440 scoring 89.25 to secure gold with 179.00 points.

New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski Synnott claimed silver with 172.25, while the Republic of Korea’s Yu Seungeun, just 18, took bronze with 171.00. Dual Olympic Champion Anna Gasser was denied a shot at history after falls on her first two attempts ended her bid for a third Big Air title.

Recognising the significance of Kokomo’s double 1440s, the rest of the field were quick to celebrate the emotional Olympic Champion.

“[Kokomo] started bawling her eyes out and I was tearing up. It was pretty emotional to be with all the girls at the bottom and to see her throw down - and Zoi and Yu too.”

Coady echoed that sentiment, praising the level of riding on display.

“Those girls are amazing, they’re so good at riding big air, doing 14s and stuff would be pretty scary on that jump.

“Everyone is so inspiring to watch, and we also spend so much time together, we’re all friends, and it’s super sick.

“Kokomo’s been working so hard the last few years, I think she really deserved that win.”

Both Aussies will now turn their attention to Slopestyle in week two of the Games. 

Coady – the Slopestyle bronze medallist from Beijing 2022 - said the Big Air tricks on display could have an exciting impact on the next event.

“Yeah, that'll definitely be super interesting to see what people go for in the Slopestyle,” she said. 

“Obviously you have to connect the whole run up. Big Air is the one jump, but in Slopestyle you have to have something good on every trick, so it will be really interesting to see what kind of runs people are putting together and I’m looking forward to that for sure.”

In her main event, Coady will again be joined by Stalker and 16-year-old Ally Hickman who placed 15th in Big Air qualifiers.

“It’s so nice to start with Big Air and be able to work on the tricks that I’m going to take to slope,” Stalker said.

“We’ve had a bit of a warm-up now which is cool!”

Coady, Stalker and Hickman will return for Women’s Slopestyle on Monday 16 February.

IMAGE TOP - Tess Coady
​IMAGE BOTTOM - Tess Coady and Mela Stalker

​Three Aussies lined up for the Women’s Snowboard Big Air qualification in Livigno Snow Park. Triple Olympian and bronze medalist Tess Coady, and Olympic debutants Ally Hickman and Mela Stalker.  

Coady, Hickman and Stalker are from Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland so the crowd was packed with friends and family from across the east coast of Australia excited to see the Aussies go big.  

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

Big Air has been filled with dramas these Games from the highs and lows of watching Val Guseli pullout a 19 hundred to squeak and tonight was no different.  

Tess Coady had the tough job of being number one on the start list, but she handled it like a pro. She delivered a solid first jump score of 78.50, Hickman sixteenth to run spun up a front side 1080 mute grab and deliver an 85.25 finishing the first round in third. Stalker unfortunately failed to stick the landing putting the pressure on for the next two rounds.  

“Sitting third after that one, I was really excited. I went over to my family. They were probably the loudest in the crowd, yeah, it was so crazy,” said Hickman.

Going into the second-round jump Stalker knew she really needed a result to stay in the competition. She responded with authority nailing a backside 1080 mute and delivering an 82.25. Coady, however, had a difficult landing, while Hickman landed a solid second jump.  

In the third, Stalker did it again. She absolutely nailed a frontside 1080 mute to land in 6th place. Coady, just edged into the final finishing in 12th spot with a solid switch backside 900 mute, Hickman landed all three jumps but failed to produce a high enough score for the final finishing in 15th place.  

Stalker being a rookie put her first-round jump down to nerves, “So much anxiety throughout the whole day. So, I think I'm pretty glad to just, kind of breathe through it.” 

She also pulled out a new trick for the night, “Yeah, it was the first time doing back dub 10 in a competition. So I learned that on the on the day I came here. So, to be able to put it in in comp mode is pretty cool”. 

She felt the support of the team really help her to get the job done on the night.  

“It's like a little family. It's so cool. Good to have Tess make the final as well. She rode so well, and so did Ally. I can't, I can't believe how proud I am of them and to be able to ride with them this this year has been great.” 

Coady was really focused on the second run to get into the final on the night.  

“I wanted to just do a switchback nine I did on my second run. But it was just like, it slowed down a little bit as it got a bit colder. So yeah, I just wanted to land that, cleaner and just make it look good. And, yeah, get some points, just hope, hopefully that was gonna be enough. 

Placing 12th means Coady will be first again in the final, “In the final, I think I’ll do a  switchback 10, I might just see, how the jump is and stuff but It's a little tricky when you're, like, the first rider to drop.” 

PHOTO - MELA STALKER IN ACTION

Article courtesy olympics.com.au

​Valentino Guseli wasn’t expecting to compete in Big Air at Milano Cortina 2026 two days ago.

But after receiving a last-minute call up when Canadian star Mark McMorris withdrew due to injury, the 20-year-old not only stepped into the Men’s Big Air event and qualified for the final on Saturday evening, he delivered a gutsy top-10 finish on the world’s biggest sporting stage with almost no Big Air preparation.  

“I was stoked to be out there, I had a lot of fun riding,” Guseli said. “I left it all out there… I couldn't have tried harder or, wanted it more. So yeah, no regrets. 

“[Mark McMorris] went out, and I came in, so essentially I had his spot and I wanted to do something special with his spot, out of respect for him.” 

Guseli opened the final with a Switch Backside 1800 Nosegrab, but was unable to ride out the landing cleanly, scoring 23.00. 

He went big on his second jump, successfully landing a Switch Backside 1980 Tail Grab for only the third time in his career. The last time he landed it was just two nights earlier to book his ticket into the Olympic final. His score of 86.75 was the fourth-highest scoring trick of the night. 

Entering the final round in eighth place, the Aussie went for a huge Backside 1980 Indy Grab, but unfortunately, he came in just a quarter rotation short missing the landing and catching a backside edge to finish the night with a total score of 103.25 in 10th place overall. 

Despite the landing, Guseli said he walked away proud of the risks he took. 

“I think the level was so high that everyone just had to go all in and throw the biggest stuff they could and I know that I definitely threw the best stuff that I could,” he said. 

“It was the third time I landed the Switchback 19 ever in my life... And it was the first time I ever tried the back 19 - which was the last trick that I crashed on, unfortunately.” 

Japan dominated the Big Air podium, with Kira Kimura taking gold (179.50) and Ryoma Kimata winning silver (171.50). China’s Yiming Su claimed bronze (168.50). 

Guseli will now turn his attention to his main event – the Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe – with official training getting underway on Sunday before qualifies on Wednesday, alongside fellow Aussie Scotty James. 

“I think I'll definitely be more comfortable by the time the Halfpipe rolls around,” he said. 

“Hopefully we can both get up there and make Australia proud.”

IMAGE COPYRIGHT CHRIS HOCKING

With only three hours to prepare, Valentino Guseli has pulled off a trick he has only attempted one other time on snow, to qualify in 12th place for the Men’s Snowboard Big Air Final. 

Knowing he needed to pull out a huge trick with his third and final jump to secure a place in the final, Guseli stomped a massive Switch Backside 1980 Tailgrab to score 91.50. That took his total score to 163.00 - one point more than the 13th placed athlete. 

Article courtesy olympics.com.au

It was an exceptional start to Australia’s Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic campaign, which was not scheduled to start for another two days. 

After falling agonisingly short of automatically qualifying for the Big Air and Slopestyle competitions, Guseli was only expected to compete in the Halfpipe, scheduled for 13 February. 

However, following a training injury which forced Canadian Olympic medallist, Mark McMorris to withdraw from the competition, Guseli was the only Snowboard Halfpipe athlete with a top 30 Big Air World Cup finish and enough FIS points to gain a start in Big Air. 
Receiving the official news just three hours before the event commenced, the 20-year-old Aussie leapt at the opportunity to stand at the top of the Big Air jump and squeezed in his first ever practice jumps on the colossal ramp in the hour before the competition commenced. 

"I found out last night that there was a chance I was going to get in after unfortunately Mark had a bit of a spill and wasn’t able to compete tonight,” Guseli explained. 

“When I found out I was getting the spot, then I just wanted to take that spot and go as far as possible with it. 

“By the time I dropped in for my first run, I only had eight runs on this jump, so I’m pretty stoked with that.” 

Guseli opened his Olympic campaign with a Switch Backside 1620 Double Tailgrab, scoring 73.25 and putting him in 15th position after the first jump. 

Ever the showman, the 20-year-old fanned the cameras in a cloud of snow after sticking the landing before performing a handstand flip to excite the fans at Livigno Snow Park. 

His second jump, a Backside 1620 Drunk Driver scored 71.50 kept him in 15th position. 
With only the top 12 advancing to finals, Guseli knew he had to pull out all the stops if he wanted a chance to secure his spot. 

“I was planning to do an 1800 instead of a 1920. Me and my dad [Guseli’s coach] were talking about it and he was like ‘dude, you might have to go the 19[20] to get the score’ and I was like ‘dude, I don’t know if it’s worth it’? 
“What I thought was: I’m not going to go and try something like a Hail Mary that I could get destroyed on and miss out on Halfpipe... 

“And then I thought for little bit and then I thought: ‘it's the Olympics, man’. 

“Once I decided it was like, let's go! Then I ended up just finding flow state pretty easily when I dropped in and snapped it, grabbed, came around, saw the landing, stomped it. 

“Sometimes things just happen for you when a lot of work accumulates into a certain moment, and I guess it felt like a lot of hard work paid off in that moment.” 

Having only landed that trick on snow once before – over 18 months ago before his ACL injury - Guseli’s Switch Backside 1980 Tailgrab scored a massive 91.50 to secure his position in Saturday’s final. 

Guseli will return to the ramp in the Men’s Snowboard Big Air Final at 7.30pm local time on Saturday 7 February (5.30am AEDT Sunday 8 February).