Category: Nathan Johnstone

James makes an impact

22/12/2013

Young gun Scotty James has capped off an impressive snowboard halfpipe World Cup at Copper Mountain with a sixth place.

Nineteen-year-old James, who was the youngest male athlete among all nations competing at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games, rode maturely in today’s 16-man final to finish in a stronger position than a number of more highly ranked athletes.

American’s monopolised the podium with Taylor Gold, Gregory Bretz and Ben Ferguson finishing 1-2-3.

AIS / NSWIS athletes Kent Callister and Nate Johnstone were 37th and 38th.

In the women's event Australia's female Snowboard Halfpipe contenders had a tough day in the pipe, finishing in a cluster at the bottom of the qualifying standings: Amber Arazny (30th), Hannah Trigger (31st), Stephanie Magiros (36th), Alex Fitch (38th) and Holly Crawford (41st).

Australians impress at Dew Tour

15/12/2013

Australia’s reigning Olympic champion Torah Bright won the coveted Dew Tour snowboard superpipe title in Breckenridge, USA, today.

The 26-year-old captured first place in a specially invited field of the world’s best, including the full squad of American athletes who are vying for team selection for the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games in Russia.

Two other Australians, Scott James and Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport scholarship holder Kent Callister were also impressive with 5th and 11th place in an equally high-calibre men’s superpipe final.

James’ performance, one of the best of his career, will set him up for the next week’s halfpipe World Cup event at Copper Mountain in the USA.

The event was won by American Greg Bretz who outclassed event favourite Shaun White, with Taylor Gold in the bronze medal place, making it an American 1-2-3 finish.

The results by the Australians have added importance, given that the event is the first leg of five events used by American selectors for the Sochi Games.

Bright, who recorded the fifth best qualifying score three days ago, was excellent in the final, easily accounting for second placed American Kelly Clark. Another American, 13-year-old Chloe Kim was third.

Going into the second run of the final, Bright knew that her score of 95.4 could not be knocked off the leaders’ board.

She used her second pass as a “display run.”

“If I did my second run any better, I don’t think I would have gotten any more points,” Bright said.

“My whole idea with my riding right now is that I want to do a run that is memorable.

“I want to do it big, I want to do it smooth and stylish.

“I’ve got more tricks to work on but I’m riding to the beat of my heart these days.”

Snowboard Halfpipe international season preparation update

9/10/2013

In June, the AIS Snowboard Halfpipe Team attended a training camp at Mt Bachelor, Oregon USA with a focus on big tricks in soft conditions.

During August, the AIS Snowboard Halfpipe Program headed to New Zealand to train for three weeks at Cardrona and Snow Park. With the shortage of a world class halfpipe facility in Australia, it was essential that the athletes be based in New Zealand to train effectively.

Whilst in New Zealand, the team competed in the opening World Cup of the season at the Cardrona Resort. Holly Crawford and Nathan Johnstone launched their seasons with positive performances, both finishing in seventh place. In a promising sign for the future Kent Callister finished in 16th place after qualifying in equal sixth place, and Scott James finished in an equal career best sixth place.

A major focus for the athletes has been a comprehensive strength and conditioning training program in Sydney. John Marsden, OWIA Strength and Conditioning coach, attended the AIS Snowboard Program camp in New Zealand in August to ensure athletes continue to make strength and conditioning gains whilst overseas and on snow.

After a straining block back at home in Sydney, the Halfpipe team has returned to New Zealand to take part in a month long spring training camp at Cardrona.

The Cardrona Halfpipe has been in great, but the athletes have been challenged with difficult weather.

Olympic Champion Torah Bright, will be participating in an OWIA supported four week spring camp Halfpipe & Slopestyle initiative, at Mt Hutt, New Zealand, from mid October through to mid November.

Season's positive start to Sochi

24/8/2013

Australian snowboard halfpipe athletes launched their season and their march towards the 2014 Winter Olympic Games with positive performances in the season’s first World Cup event in New Zealand’s Cardrona resort today.

Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport athletes, Holly Crawford, the silver medallist in this year’s World Championships, and Nathan Johnstone, ranked in the top 10 in the world, both finished seventh in the event which was part of the annual New Zealand Winter Games.

Nineteen-year-old NSWIS rider Scott James went one better placing sixth today, equalling his best World Cup result, after qualifying in equal sixth spot in the 61 man field and advanced through to the final with the fourth highest score in his semi-final.

Adding to the encouragement for the Australians, seventeen-year-old Kent Callister, who is also striving to win team selection for the Sochi Winter Olympic Games in Russia next February, qualified in equal sixth place, but was unable to maintain his level in his semi-final, missing the cut for the final and finishing 16th overall.

Defending Olympic champion, Torah Bright, trained in New Zealand but elected not to compete.

The women’s final was won by America’s Kelly Clark, followed by China’s Xuetong Cai in second place and American Gretchen Bleiler was in the bronze medal position.

Japanese riders Ayumu Hirano and Taku Hiraoka were first and second in the men's draw while Switzerland’s Christian Haller placed third.

AIS snowboard halfpipe coach Ben Alexander said that although the squad would have preferred higher finishes, they will return to Australia with a number of positive outcomes and a clear indication that progress has been made towards a strong showing in Russia next year.

“We’re looking at the big picture,” Alexander said.

“We’re now getting back into competition mode. I wouldn’t say the results are outstanding but they were solid and they show that we are definitely moving in the right direction.

“The guys are in good shape and we are now looking to a great training camp in late September.”

The snowboard halfpipe squad will journey back to New Zealand for four weeks from September 23 and return to the World Cup stage in December.

Crawford’s podium finish at Olympic test event

15/2/2013

Snowboard halfpipe athlete Holly Crawford delivered Australia’s first podium finish at the site of next year’s Winter Olympic Games in Sochi tonight (Russian time).

Crawford, the silver medallist at last month’s World Championships, finished second in tonight’s fourth round of this season’s World Cup tour, which was also a test event for next year’s Winter Olympic Games, but aggravated a long standing injury.

The Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport rider’s condition was being assessed by medical personnel tonight, however, it is believed that the injury relates to rib cage cartilage damage.

She has been dealing with the condition since the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.

Crawford, who is known for her courage and resilience on the tour, could not attend tonight’s medal ceremony, which would have been her 17th podium appearance in a stellar career.

The event started brilliantly for the Australian, with Crawford earning automatic inclusion in the final, bypassing the need to compete in the semi-finals, by finishing her qualification heat yesterday in third place.

Crawford arrived at tonight’s halfpipe, which is part of a $50 billion-plus greenfield development for the 2014 Sochi Games, in discomfort after the rib injury recurred in the qualification session.

Her first run down the halfpipe in tonight’s final saw the Perisher based rider deliver a solid performance, attracting 78 points from the judges, enough to earn her second place at the halfway mark of proceedings.

Approaching her second run for the night with more determination to press for the lead, Crawford fell early, in what appeared to be a minor mishap.

However, the slight fall immediately ended her hopes of improving her run one score.

Crawford finished second to America’s two-time Olympic medallist Kelly Clark, with Frenchwoman Sophie Rodriguez in third.

Current Olympic champion Torah Bright showed glimpses of her talent but had to settle for seventh, resulting from a mistake on both runs, while other Aussie results saw Stephanie Magiros in 23rd, Hannah Trigger in 27th and Alexandra Fitch in 31st position.

AIS / NSWIS rider, Nathan Johnstone, was eighth in the men’s final after replicating Crawford’s performance of gaining automatic inclusion into tonight’s final with the third best score in his qualification heat.

Johnstone, who went into the event with severe jetlag and a virus, was unable to complete a clean run tonight, but was encouraging with his level of difficulty and amplitude.

Japan’s Taku Hiraoka won, with Switzerland’s Iouri Podladtchikov second and American Scott Lago third.
Australians Scott James was 13th while AIS / NSWIS athlete Kent Callister was 58th.

Crawford’s World Championship silver medal

21/1/2013

Snowboard halfpipe rider Holly Crawford won a World Championship silver medal in Stoneham, Canada, today, becoming one of only three Australians to finish on the podium of the biennial event on three occasions.

Crawford added the second place to her gold medal from 2011 and another silver from 2009, which equals the World Championship record of retired Australian aerial skier Jacqui Cooper and 2006 Olympic Mogul Skiiing champion Dale Begg-Smith.

Despite going into these Championships with just two events to her name in that last 12 months due to injury, the Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport rider went close to defending her title from Spain two years ago.

Crawford was edged off the podium top spot by American Arielle Gold, while Frenchwoman Sophie Rodriguez took the bronze.

Crawford had to fight back from a warm up session just before the final, which saw her unable to complete a full run without a mistake, due to heavy snow and the pipe’s slow conditions.

However, Crawford’s experience and determination enabled her to adjust from the slow start to the day, with the second of her two runs scoring 77.25 points, just 1.75 points away from Gold’s winning performance.

In the men’s event Australia’s other defending halfpipe champion and AIS / NSWIS rider Nathan Johnstone finished in seventh, after advancing to the final with the second best qualification score.

Two Australian teenagers, 18-year-old NSWIS athlete Scott James and AIS / NSWIS rider Kent Callister, 17, were both impressive in the qualification session, posting fifth and sixth best scores.

The pair finished their first World Championships in sixth and fifteenth, showing their potential for the future.

Swiss rider Iouri “i-pod” Podladtchikov was crowned World Champion, ahead of Japan’s Taku Hiraoka and Fin Markus Marlin in third place.

Crawford said that while she had hoped for another world title, she was extremely pleased to finish in the silver medal position.

“I’m really happy with the result,” Crawford said.

“It was really tough in there today. There was a lot of snow and the pipe was very slow and bumpy, which brings the field much closer together.

“It could have been anybody’s day today.

“It was really a case of who could get their run down basically.

“The conditions were as tough as I have experienced in some time.

Crawford said that competing in only two events in the last 12 months and limited time with on-snow training was not an ideal way to defend her title.

“I was fairly confident that if I landed my run that I would be on the podium,” she said.

“There was definitely more that I would have liked to have done. I suffered a bit of a setback with my injury but you take the good with the bad.”

AIS halfpipe program coach Ben Alexander said that the conditions were unsuited to Johnstone’s riding style.

“Nathan likes to do his tricks really big out of the halfpipe and today with the pipe being really slow, it made it difficult for Nathan to perform at his best,” Alexander said.

“It was a tough day for Nate.

“When you perform your tricks going extremely high out of the halfpipe, that sets you apart from somebody who can’t go that big.

“The conditions were the same for everybody but the guys who don’t go high out of the halfpipe have an advantage in these conditions.”

Johnstone and Bright both win at Copper Mountain

13/1/2013

Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport snowboard halfpipe athlete Nathan Johnstone should go into next week’s World Championships at Stoneham, Canada, with great confidence and Torah Bright is recapturing the form that earned her a Winter Olympic Games gold medal after both recorded strong victories today.

Johnstone, the reigning World Champion, and Bright completed his-and-hers World Cup wins at Copper Mountain, USA, which has elevated Johnstone to the number one ranking while Bright has jumped to second place on the standings.
Their performances prompted AIS halfpipe coach Ben Alexander to describe the results as “outstanding”, given the level of talent in the event and the standard the Australians set today.

Johnstone was in great form finishing ahead of second and third placed Americans Luke Mitrani and Louie Vito while Bright was victorious over the 2002 Winter Olympic Games gold medallist Kelly Clark, from the United States, and Spanish rider Queralt Castellet who finished third.

“Both Nate and Torah were outstanding today,” Alexander said.

“With the number of young talented riders entering the sport now and the fact that the last Olympics were three years ago and everybody is now so much better, today’s wins were outstanding,” Alexander said.

Johnstone wowed the judges and spectators, as well as surprising everybody except himself and other Australians, with a technical run consisting of a backside air to a frontside double cork 1080, a cab 1080 taipan, a frontside 900 mute and a backside 900 melon.
Bright was awarded the day’s highest score, 85.75, in her first of two runs with a backside air to air to air fakie, a cab 720 indy, frontside air, backside 540 mute and a backside alley oop rodeo 540.

Johnstone and Bright headlined a record breaking day for Aussie World Cup skiers and snowboarders, a day that consisted of an unprecedented two wins and a further three podium finishes in just one day.

Seventeen-year-old Kent Callister also provided his share of dazzle to the day by finishing ninth in the field of 83 men in just his second World Cup event.

Since making his World Cup debut in New Zealand last August as a 16-year-old, the young gun has impressed, establishing himself as a potential high achiever in years to come.

Another Australian teenager, 2010 Olympian Scott James, finished in 28th while in the women’s draw reigning World Champion and AIS / NSWIS athlete Holly Crawford experienced mistakes in the qualifying round and had to be content with 35th place.

NSWIS athlete Stephanie Magiros was 27th while Alex Fitch placed 34th.

Aussies make their mark in Breckenridge

16/12/2012

Australian snowboard athletes have recorded impressive results today in one of the world’s most prestigious halfpipe events, the Dew Tour, in Breckenridge, USA.

Reigning Olympic gold medallist Torah Bright showed her rivals that her comeback is progressing strongly with an impressive fourth place while defending World Champion and AIS/NSWIS rider, Nate Johnstone finished the final in sixth.

Given the quality of the field and the athletes who finished in the first five places of the men’s final – Shaun White, Louie Vito, Taku Hiraoka, Christian Haller and Ayumu Hirano – Johnstone’s sixth place is a great early season result.

Australian Institute of Sport halfpipe program coach Ben Alexander labeled Johnstone’s performance as “particularly positive” with the World Championships in Stoneham, Canada, just four weeks away.

“Anybody who is a big name in halfpipe was there so Nate was very pleased to be invited to compete,” Alexander said.

“It would have been nicer to finish higher in the results but sixth in that list is still very impressive.”

In other results, Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder, 17-year-old Kent Callister, showed why big things are expected of him in the future when he finished 18th in the semi-final.

AIS/NSWIS scholarship holder and 2011 World Champion Holly Crawford, who missed most of last season with an injury, took another step in her comeback when she finished 9th in the semis.

American Kaitlyn Farrington picked up the winner’s prize, followed by Spain’s Querait Castellet, American Maddy Schaffrick, Torah Bright from Australia and American Kelly Clark in fifth place.

Australia's good signs on the horizon

26/8/2012

Australia’s snowboard halfpipe squad has shown clear signs that the coming northern hemisphere winter, which includes the World Championships as its centrepiece, will be another successful year for our athletes.

Competing in the opening event of the 2012 / 2013 World Cup season in Cardrona, New Zealand, today, Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport rider and reigning World Champion, Holly Crawford, finished fifth, after advancing to the final as the winner and highest score in her semi-final.

The final was won by United States’ 2002 Olympic gold medalist Kelly Clark, followed by France’s Sophie Rodriguez and Spain’s Queralt Castellet in third.

Crawford’s performance prompted praise from AIS halfpipe program coach Ben Alexander, who said he was more than pleased with the Cardrona result and he believes she is on track to challenge for another World Championship in Canada in January.

“I’m very happy with her progress at this point in the season,” Alexander said.

“She has been riding well, training well and she is in good shape.

“We are definitely focused on the World Championships. That is a key event for us. We are going to make a big push with the World Championships.”

Alexander said now that her first hit out for the season was finished, Crawford and other squad members will continue with fitness preparation before going back to New Zealand for a training camp in five weeks.

The squad will then resume competition in the second round of the World Cup in the United States in November.

Crawford’s assault on the World Cup season and the World Championships will be strengthened by the introduction of two new and more difficult tricks, which are expected to be added to her competition repertoire from November.

“She is already doing the new tricks in training but now it’s just a matter of getting to a stage where she does these new tricks consistently. When that occurs she will start using them in competition,” Alexander said.

Australia’s current Olympic Champion Torah Bright competed in her first World Cup event since November 2009 and also left Cardona with an encouraging result.

Except for a handful of invitation exhibitions, Bright has effectively not competed since she struck gold at the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games in February 2010.

With her eyes fixed on qualifying for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, Bright is now reigniting her career and will be pleased with a third place in her heat in Cardrona.

The men’s halfpipe saw 2010 Olympian and VIS scholarship holder Scott James qualify for the final in a strong performance but fell, which put him down in 11th place at the end of the day.

Sixteen-year-old Kent Callister, made an impressive World Cup debut in an event that was won convincingly by Japan’s Ryo Aono, Shuhei Sata also from the Japan in second, while third place went to China’s Yiwei Zhang.

The teenage AIS athlete, narrowly missed advancing to the final after a creditable performance in the semi, to finish 13th overall.

Reigning World Champion Nate Johnstone finished 15th, delivering a gutsy performance given that the AIS / NSWIS rider was competing with bruised ribs from a training mishap.

The bruising prevented Johnstone from attempting many of his usual higher scoring tricks.

Johnstone impresses with finals result at Euro X-Games & Torah back in action

19/3/2012

AIS Snowboarder Nathan Johnstone has finished off his season with an impressive finals performance at the European X-Games halfpipe event in Tignes, France.

In a star studded field which featured the best men’s halfpipe riders in the world, including back to back Olympic champion Shaun White of the USA, Johnstone showed he can match it with the best qualifying for the final in fifth place after recording a solid score of 74.33 in his second run.

In the final, Johnstone was unable to replicate his qualifying performance, finishing in eighth place, recording a personal best result in the process, easily eclipsing his tenth place result in eliminations from the previous year.

The event was won by Shaun White with American team-mate Louie Vito in second and Iouri Podladtchikov of Switzerland in third

Johnstone wins with career best form

24/2/2012

Australia’s Nathan Johnstone has emphatically won the World Cup snowboard halfpipe competition in Stoneham, Canada, while dominating the event from start to finish.

Johnstone, who recently turned 22, was never challenged on his way to the third World Cup victory of his career, which has shot the reigning World Cup Champion into second place in world rankings.

The Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport scholarship holder secured gold with a flawless performance in qualifying and then cemented his control of the event in the first run of the final to clinch the win 4.25 points ahead of Japan’s Taku Hiraoka and 7.25 points ahead of Finland’s veteran Janne Korpi in third place.

The performance prompted NSWIS halfpipe program coach Ben Alexander, who has steered Johnstone’s career for the last 10 years, to say that he has never seen the talented rider from NSW’s Perisher resort in better form.

“He was fantastic today,” Alexander declared.

“He was going bigger than anyone throughout the whole event. He was seven points ahead of second place in qualifying in very tough wet and bumpy conditions.

"In the final he couldn’t be beaten going into the second run.”

The win was even more impressive given that Johnstone did not need to use his latest weapon, a frontside double cork 1080.

The new trick was added to Johnstone’s “kitbag” before the start of the northern hemisphere season and so far he has used it only twice in competition.

“When you are riding as well as he did today, you don’t need to do bring out your best tricks,” Alexander said.

“He was going bigger, with cleaner tricks and more amplitude. If you’re ahead at the end of your run, that’s all you need to do.”

Jonstone’s lead-up to the World Cup fourth round was less than ideal.

After competing in Oslo, Norway, earlier this week, Johnstone flew seven hours to New York, took a further one and a half hour flight to Montreal before driving to Stoneham, arriving in Canada only a day and a half before the event started, almost 12 hours after leaving Norway.

The unavoidable travel schedule resulted in his training time being halved, not to mention a short recovery time from the long flight.

Alexander said Johnstone’s resilience was a result of the hard physical training he has done leading up to this season.

Alexander predicts that Johnstone has the talent to keep improving significantly for a number of years.

“He has definitely got a lot more in the bag and we’ll keep going with our plans.

"He is doing exceptionally well, enjoying riding with the best athletes in the world and he wants more.”

Seventeen-year-old Scott James added to Australia’s glory by achieving a World Cup career best fifth place. He finished with 84.5 points in a very strong finals performance.

Fellow Aussies Jarryd Williams and Samuel Murphy finished 32nd and 34th while Stephanie Magiros was 16th in the women’s event.

Johnstone narrowly misses medal

19/2/2012

Australia’s Nathan Johnstone narrowly missed a podium finish when he placed fifth in the TTR World Snowboarding Championships in Oslo, Norway.

Johnstone, the FIS reigning half pipe World Champion, ended a grueling competition schedule fewer than 1.5 points away from a bronze medal but was pleased with his performance in his first hit out for the season.

The event, part of the snowboard specialist series Ticket To Ride (TTR), was won by Russian-born Swiss rider Iouri “ipod” Podladtchikov, who picked up $40,000 in prize money to go with the title. Americans Matt Ladley and Louie Vito took home the silver and bronze medals.

Although Johnstone, an Australian Institute of Sport / NWS Institute of Sport scholarship holder, was unlucky not to have won a medal, the 22-year-old from NSW’s Perisher resort, rode impressively.

He endured four rounds of competition in five days, unlike the Swiss rider who competed twice in the same period, due to rules involving TTR rankings and seedings. Ladley competed three times while Vito rode in two rounds.

AIS half pipe program coach Ben Alexander said that he was particularly pleased with the way Johnstone handled the number of times he competed during this event.

“Normally you rock up to an event, train for two days and compete. Nate competed in pre-qualifying, qualifying, the semi and today’s final,” Alexander said.

“I was really pleased with his result in such a high quality field and that all of the off season fitness work that he did meant that he came through this pretty well physically.”
Johnstone now heads to Canada to compete at Stoneham on February 20.

World Champs add new tricks

11/12/2011

Australia’s world champion snowboard halfpipe riders Holly Crawford and Nathan Johnstone unveiled impressive new tricks on their way to strong performances in the Sprint US Grand Prix, a long-established event held at Copper Mountain in Colorado, USA, on Saturday December 10.

In their first competition for the 2011/2012 northern hemisphere winter, Crawford and Johnstone chose arguably one of the toughest fields likely to assemble this season to transform months of training and practice into a competitive environment.

Although their new tricks, Nathan’s double cork and Holly’s backside 540, were not enough to propel them onto the podium, they both finished the day knowing that their repertoires are now expanded, which will enhance their prospects this season.

Americans Luke Matrani and Louie Vito finished in first and second, reversing their places in the same event in 2010, while compatriot Gregory Bretz made up the third position on the podium. Matrani was flawless in his first run of the day, amassing an incredible 96.40 points, establishing a vice-like grip on victory.

Johnstone finished in eighth place overall with 82 points, among a field of more than 90 athletes, after qualifying for the final in sixth position.

Crawford was even more impressive, placing 5th overall and qualifying for the final in seventh spot.

Crawford finished the day on 76.20 points, behind Americans Kelly Clark and Made Schaffrick with Spain’s Quera Castellet in third.

Both Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport scholarship holders now journey to Colorado’s Dew Tour in Beckenridge to compete in next week’s halfpipe event.

Other NSWIS athletes competing at Copper Mountain were Jarryd Williams (39th), Steph Magiros (34th), Alex Fitch (44th) and Sam Murphy (78th). Victorian Institute of Sport athlete Scott James finished in 37th place

Crawford wins NSWIS Female Athlete of the Year

17/11/2011

OWI athletes have continued their successful year by taking out a number of awards at the annual NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) Awards.

Major winners on the night included Holly Crawford, who claimed the Samsung Electronics Australia Female Athlete of the Year and Nathan Johnstone, who took out the Ian Thorpe OAM Outstanding Achievement category.

The NSWIS Winter Sports Program, which includes, Snowboarding, Mogul Skiing, Ski Cross and individual scholarships for Alpine Skiing and Cross Country won for the Program of the year Award.

Alex “Chumpy” Pullin and Scott Kneller were also nominated for awards on the night but unfortunately missed out.

NSWIS Chief Executive Officer Charles Turner said all of the nominated athletes had done the Institute proud in 2011 but Magnussen’s world beating swims, and the history breaking performances of Crawford and Johnston to win FIS Snowboard World Championship gold, were particularly outstanding.

“It has been another year of NSWIS athletes shining on both the domestic and international stage and it is great that we can come here tonight and celebrate everyone’s achievements,” Turner said.

“For Holly and Nathan, to do what they did, that was quite amazing. Our winter sport athletes have definitely picked up in recent years and for both of them to win their half-pipe event, and for Australia to top the overall medal tally at the snowboard world championships was exciting.”

Full list of award winners:
The Australian College of Physical Education Academic Excellence (General): Gabrielle King (Sailing)
The University of Sydney Academic Excellence: Kenneth To (Swimming) & Jenny Blow (Goalball)
The University of New South Wales Career Development: Eamon Sullivan (Swimming)
Ian Thorpe OAM Outstanding Achievement: Nathan Johnstone (Winter Sports)
Out & About Marketing and Media Junior Athlete of the Year: Caleb Ewan (Cycling)
Classic Sportswear Most Memorable Moment: Men’s 4x100m freestyle relay (Matthew Abood; James Magnussen; Eamon Sullivan)
Office of Communities, Sport and Recreation Regional Athlete of the Year: Nathan Outteridge (Sailing)
Sydney City Toyota Team Athlete of the Year: James Magnussen (Swimming)
Sportspro Coach of the Year: Brant Best (Swimming)
Sydney Olympic Park Authority Program of the Year: Winter Sports
Samsung Electronics Australia Female Athlete of the Year Award: Holly Crawford (Winter Sports)
ClubsNSW Male Athlete of the Year Award: James Magnussen (Swimming)

Thanks to NSWIS

AIS Athlete of the Year finalists named

27/10/2011

Five of Australia’s sporting stars are announced as finalists for the Australian Institute of Sport’s prestigious 2011 Athlete of the Year Award.

Evan O’Hanlon (Paralympic track and field), Alex Pullin (snowboard cross), Holly Crawford (snowboard half pipe), Nathan Johnstone (snowboard half pipe) and Anna Meares (track cycling) will vie for the AIS’s top individual honour.

Three of the five nominated athletes form part of the AIS’s winter sport contingent, with Pullin, Crawford and Johnstone all crowned as world champions this year.

Pullin’s gold medal in La Molina, Spain, rewrote the record books as he became the first Australian to win a world championship snowboarding title.

However, Meares and O’Hanlon will provide stiff competition, with the cycling and track and field stars both excelling in 2011.

O’Hanlon, the reigning Paralympic 100-metre and 200-metre champion and world record holder, claimed gold in both events at this year’s IPC Athletics World Championships in New Zealand, as well as a silver medal in the 400-metre, and bronze in the 4x100-metre relay.

Meares again showed why she is regarded as the queen of the track, claiming three gold medals in the keirin, sprint and team sprint events at the 2011 UCI World Championships held in September in Copenhagen, Denmark.

‘For 30 years now the AIS has pursued sporting excellence, and the five finalists in 2011 have all enjoyed an exceptional year,’ said acting AIS Director, Phil Borgeaud.

‘Our winter sport athletes continue to grow in experience and expertise and their performance at the world championships in Spain this year highlighted their talent.

‘Anna positioned herself as the standout women’s track cyclist in 2011, while Evan has proven himself as a world-class champion by beating the best athletes on the international sporting stage.

‘I would like to congratulate all the athletes, coaches and programs who have been chosen as finalists for the 2011 AIS Awards and wish them the best of luck when the winners are announced on 10 November.’

In other categories, Meares and women’s team sprint partner Kaarle McCulloch join the canoe sprint men’s K4 1000-metre crew (Tate Smith, David Smith, Murray Stewart and Jacob Clear) and the women’s double scull rowing crew of Kim Crow and Kerry Hore as finalists in AIS Team of the Year.

The 2011 AIS Awards will be presented at the AIS Arena in Canberra on Thursday evening, 10 November.

Crawford comes out fighting

31/8/2011

Reigning half pipe snowboard world champion Holly Crawford earned a fighting second place in the opening World Cup event of the 2011/2012 season, which kicked off today at Cardona, on New Zealand's south island.

The Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport rider finished behind China's Xuetong Cai, with Switzerland's Ursina Haller filling the other podium position in the only World Cup event to be held in the southern hemisphere this season.

The second place was Crawford's 16th time on a World Cup podium from 31 starts.

After winning her heat and in doing so setting up automatic qualification for the final, Crawford's impressive first run put herself within reach of starting the season with a victory.

However, Cai, who narrowly prevented Crawford from grabbing the world number one ranking at the end of last season's World Cup, has clearly prepared well in her lead up and recorded a slightly higher first run score.

The Australian fought back with a better second run than her Chinese rival, including well executed back-to-back 720s and a front-side 540, but it was just short of escalating Crawford into the top position.

AIS snowboard head coach Ben Wordsworth said that the result was extremely pleasing and it will boost Crawford's confidence for the coming season.

"Today shows Holly should be in for another successful World Cup year," Wordsworth said.

Australia's other half pipe current world champion and fellow AIS / NSWIS rider, Nathan Johnstone, had a day of mixed fortunes, by his lofty standards.

He finished in fourth place behind Finland's Janne Korpi, who recorded his eighth World Cup victory, China's Yiwei Zhang and Dutchman Dimi de Jong.

Johnstone put down a clean first run, although his score suffered slightly when he ran out of pipe.

The 21-year-old AIS / NSWIS rider performed significantly better in the second run but at that stage he was unable to bridge the gap between himself and a place on the podium.

The three athletes finishing above Johnstone displayed more difficult tricks and higher amplitude, which impressed the six judges.

The man who Johnstone finished ahead of last year to secure two World Cup Crystal Globe trophies, and also picked up the world's number one ranking, Japan's Ryo Aono, was disappointed by his 11th place.

Both Crawford and Johnstone will resume on-snow training in Cardona for a week before flying back to Australia for ongoing dry-land preparation for the Grand Prix event at Copper Mountain, Colorado, in the United States, in December.

World champions share snowsports top honour

29/4/2011

Following unprecedented winter sports success during the northern hemisphere season, Ski and Snowboard Australia have named its four new World Champions as joint winners of the Suzuki Snowsports Athlete of the Year.

At a gala function in Melbourne on Thursday, snowboarders Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin (snowboard cross), Holly Crawford (halfpipe), Nate Johnstone (halfpipe) and freestyle skier, Anna Segal (slopestyle), were named as the sport's premier athletes for season 2010/11.

Alex Pullin had a triumphant year, winning the World Cup snowboard cross title as well as the World Championship.

Nate Johnstone arrived in the big time in 2011 after an injury-troubled 2010, emerging as a real star of the halfpipe world, winning the freestyle snowboard overall World Cup title, the halfpipe World Cup and the World Championship.

Holly Crawford, a two-time Olympian, narrowly missed out on the season long World Cup title, finishing the season ranked second, but she was part of the magic in Spain at the Snowboard World Championship in January where Australia won three titles in 36 hours and finished the event on top of the Nations' gold medal tally.

With slopestyle looming as a possible inclusion on the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games program, the world's best slopestyle athletes were out in force at the 2011 FIS Freestyle World Championships.

Segal, who started her skiing career as a moguls skier, produced a superb run to win Australia's fourth World Championship for the year.

Recent past winners of the Snowsports Athlete of the Year award include Olympic gold medalists Torah Bright and Lydia Lassila, who shared the honour last year, two-time Olympic medalist Dale Begg-Smith and aerials great Jacqui Cooper.

With Cooper retired, and Lassila, Bright and Begg-Smith all sitting out the season following the Olympics, the emergence of four new stars was a huge bonus for snowsports.

Ski and Snowboard Australia CEO, Michael Kennedy, said the exceptional season had made it impossible for the judges to separate the top honour.

"Really, each won a world championship, and that was the key goal for everyone during the year," Kennedy said. "It is the highest achievement outside of the Olympic Games that an athlete can strive for in winter sport.

"It is an extraordinary year, and we thought each deserved the honour of being recognised with the sport's top award."

Athlete of the Year: Alex Pullin, Nate Johnstone, Holly Crawford, Anna Segal
Alpine - Scott Kneller
Cross Country - Esther Bottomley
Freestyle - Anna Segal
Snowboard - Alex Pullin, Nate Johnstone, Holly Crawford

Junior Athlete of the Year: Britteny Cox
Alpine - Luke Laidlaw
Cross Country - Phillip Bellingham
Freestyle - Britteny Cox
Snowboard - Scott James
Coach of the Year - Ben Alexander, Ben Wordsworth

Dev. Coach of the Year - Peter Topalovic
Outstanding Achievement - Russ Henshaw
Rising Star - Greta Small

World champions share snowsports top honour

28/4/2011

Holly, Nate and Chumpy celebrate

Following unprecedented winter sports success during the northern hemisphere season, Ski and Snowboard Australia have named its four new World Champions as joint winners of the Suzuki Snowsports Athlete of the Year.

At a gala function in Melbourne on Thursday, snowboarders Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin (snowboard cross), Holly Crawford (halfpipe), Nate Johnstone (halfpipe) and freestyle skier, Anna Segal (slopestyle), were named as the sport's premier athletes for season 2010/11.

Alex Pullin had a triumphant year, winning the World Cup snowboard cross title as well as the World Championship.

Nate Johnstone arrived in the big time in 2011 after an injury-troubled 2010, emerging as a real star of the halfpipe world, winning the freestyle snowboard overall World Cup title, the halfpipe World Cup and the World Championship.

Holly Crawford, a two-time Olympian, narrowly missed out on the season long World Cup title, finishing the season ranked second, but she was part of the magic in Spain at the Snowboard World Championship in January where Australia won three titles in 36 hours and finished the event on top of the Nations' gold medal tally.

With slopestyle looming as a possible inclusion on the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games program, the world's best slopestyle athletes were out in force at the 2011 FIS Freestyle World Championships.

Segal, who started her skiing career as a moguls skier, produced a superb run to win Australia's fourth World Championship for the year.

Recent past winners of the Snowsports Athlete of the Year award include Olympic gold medalists Torah Bright and Lydia Lassila, who shared the honour last year, two-time Olympic medalist Dale Begg-Smith and aerials great Jacqui Cooper.

With Cooper retired, and Lassila, Bright and Begg-Smith all sitting out the season following the Olympics, the emergence of four new stars was a huge bonus for snowsports.

Ski and Snowboard Australia CEO, Michael Kennedy, said the exceptional season had made it impossible for the judges to separate the top honour.

"Really, each won a world championship, and that was the key goal for everyone during the year," Kennedy said. "It is the highest achievement outside of the Olympic Games that an athlete can strive for in winter sport.

"It is an extraordinary year, and we thought each deserved the honor of being recognised with the sport's top award."

Athlete of the Year: Alex Pullin, Nate Johnstone, Holly Crawford, Anna Segal

Alpine - Scott Kneller
Cross Country - Esther Bottomley
Freestyle - Anna Segal
Snowboard - Alex Pullin, Nate Johnstone, Holly Crawford

Junior Athlete of the Year: Britteny Cox

Coach of the Year - Ben Alexander, Ben Wordsworth

Dev. Coach of the Year - Peter Topalovic

Outstanding Achievement - Russ Henshaw

Rising Star - Greta Small

Johnstone makes it two World Cup titles in two days

28/3/2011

Australian halfpipe rider Nathan Johnstone has added two World Cup titles to the World Championship he won in January to round out a dominant international season.

Johnstone, 21, won the Freestyle Snowboard Overall World Cup title and also headed the end of season points tally in halfpipe, to become the first Australian snowboarder to take home two Crystal Globe trophies, the ultimate prize in World Cup competition, in the one season.

It rounds out a highly successful 24-hour period for Australian snowboarders in Arosa, Switzerland, after Alex "Chumpy" Pullin won the final event of the snowboard cross season to finish his year with the number one world ranking.

Johnstone's halfpipe team mate Holly Crawford was runner-up in the final round of competition to finish the season ranked second, the best result of her career.

Johnstone, from NSW's Perisher, won the overall title by 550 points ahead of Austrian Clemens Schattschneider and the halfpipe by 710 points, in front of Japanese rider Ryo Aono.

The NSW Institute of Sport and Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder was predictably jubilant after the season ending event in Arosa, where he placed fifth, behind Swiss trio Iouri Podladtchiko, Jan Scherrer and Patrick Burgener, who filled the podium places.

"At the beginning of the season I really wanted to get that Globe and I've finally got two of them, it's amazing," Johnstone said.

"It would have been nice to have done a little bit better today but I'm still happy with fifth.

"Winning the overall was the icing on the cake with the season."

Johnstone has achieved the world number one ranking after just 15 starts at World Cup level and seems headed towards an even brighter future in terms of further success, on and off the snow.

He has yet to contemplate what the titles will do for his career but is pleased with the knowledge that he is contributing back to his sport.

"Hopefully this will help with funding and more media coverage of snowboarding in Australia. I think it will do a lot of good things."

Johnstone is looking forward to returning home to Australia after a grueling season and plans to take a few weeks off "hanging out with friends" before sitting down with his coach Ben Alexander to work out the goals for the next stage of his march towards the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

Crawford also shared in a season to remember by finishing in second place in the World Cup Halfpipe and Freestyle Overall titles, 500 points behind China's Xuetong Cai in both categories.

In a season that should not be overlooked by Johnstone's and Pullin's titles, the Sydneysider delivered brilliant results all year.

Crawford backed up a win in the previous World Cup round with a second in the season ender in Arosa behind Spain's Queralt Castellet, who recorded her first World Cup win.

Crawford needed to out-score her Chinese rival by more than 700 points last night, but with Cai finishing in third place, Crawford's task was impossible.

However, finishing the year as the number two ranked halfpiper and winning the World Championship in Spain in January has clearly establish her as one of the elite in her sport.

Double Gold in World Cup

13/3/2011

Snowboard halfpipe World Champions Nathan Johnstone and Holly Crawford continued their excellent World Cup form delivering dual gold medal performances in Bardonecchia, Italy.

The resounding wins are the first time Australian athletes have won both the men's and women's events in the one discipline at World Cup level.

The double victory at Bardonecchia was the penultimate round of this year's World Cup series as Australia's halfpipe team is celebrating their best ever international season.

Johnstone's win at the halfpipe site of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games has shot the 21-year-old to the top position of the World Cup halfpipe standings and also given him leadership of the overall snowboard freestyle points table ahead of Japan's Ryo Anono.

Fellow Australian Institute of Sport and NSW Institute of Sport scholarship holder, Holly Crawford, is also enjoying a strong position in second place on the points table and is now applying pressure to China's competition leading rider Xuetong Cai heading into the last event.

With the men's and women's winners of the next round chasing 1000 points, Crawford and Johnstone have transformed the season-ending event in Arosa, Switzerland, on March 26, into a winner-take-all shoot out between the Australians and their Japanese and Chinese rivals.

Johnstone said last night after easily accounting for French duo Johann Baisamy and Arthur Longo, who finished second and third, that he is looking forward to competing in Arosa.

"I'm pretty happy," Johnstone said after the win. "I really wanted to get a win here to get me back in a good position in the points ranking.

"Now, I guess, we could have a good show in Arosa."

Crawford was victorious over France's Mirabelle Thovex, who enjoyed her first World Cup podium, while Polish rider Paulinas Ligocka-Andrzejewska was third.

Halfpipe head coach Ben Alexander said he was ecstatic about the double victory.

"To see Holly and Nate standing on top of the podium was an incredible sight," Alexander said.

World Cup silver medal duo in Calgary

27/2/2011

Australian snowboard halfpipe riders Holly Crawford and Nathan Johnstone have continued their excellent form this season in International competition, both finishing on the podium in second place at the World Cup event in Calgary, Canada.

Despite the Australian World Champion duo starting as favourites to win after heading the women's and men's fields in qualifying two days ago, China's Xuetong Cai snatched victory away from Crawford while Johnstone was edged off the top podium step by his main World Cup rival this season Ryo Aono of Japan.

NSWIS Halfpipe Head Coach Ben Alexander was unable to pinpoint the difference between Crawford and Cai and Johnstone and Aono except to say that a few things did not go the Australians' way today.

"I suppose Holly and Nathan did not execute today quite as well as they can," Alexander said.

"They both rode very strongly, there wasn't anything major in particular but sometimes it happens."

Both Australians tried to apply more pressure after their first runs by upping the level of difficulty with their tricks.

Johnstone, who was leading Aono after his first run, which Alexander described as "impeccable", tried to step up a frontside 720 to a frontside 1080, a trick he used with huge success to win last month's World Championship.

But the AIS/NSWIS scholarship holder was unable to cleanly execute the trick today.

Aono responded with a run that Johnstone later labelled as "unreal", recording a highly impressive 28.3 points while the Australian could not improve on his first run of 27.7.

Johnstone's second means that the gap between himself and Aono in the World Cup standing has widened from 540 points going into Calgary to 740.

However, with 2000 points still on offer and two rounds of competition before the close of the season, the Australian knows that the chase for the World Cup Champion "Crystal Globe" is far from over.

Crawford suffered a similar result, changing up a fourth trick cab 360 in the first run to a cab 720 in the second trip down the pipe.

Like her teammate, she was unable to execute her run cleanly and lost momentum for the rest of the run.

Crawford's consecutive silver medals over the past two events now elevates her from eighth place on the World Cup standings to the number two ranked rider, only 160 points ahead of China's Zhifeng Sun in third.

Also in the mens final, 17-year-old Vancouver 2010 Olympian Scott James recorded a PB World Cup result, finishing the event in a very credible eighth place.

The AIS halfpipe team now travels to Bardonecchia, Italy, for the season's penultimate event on March 11.

Crawford's close second at Canadian World Cup

19/2/2011

Australia's reigning World Champion snowboard halfpipe rider Holly Crawford may start to call Canada her home away from home following yet another brilliant podium finish over the weekend.

Competing in Stoneham, Crawford chalked up her fifth podium finish on Canadian snow since first entering World Cup competition in 2005.

Coming off the back of a fourth place in Yabuli, China, five days ago, the AIS/NSWIS scholarship holder competed with more purpose yesterday, finishing behind World Cup leader Xuetong Cai from China and ahead of Japan's Haruna Matsumoto.

In the rain and fog delayed final which did not finish until 10.30pm, about two hours later than scheduled, Crawford had her chance to steal first place away from Cai.

Unfortunately she slightly under-rotated her second trick, a cab 720, in the first of her two runs, which may have been the difference between Cai's 24.8 points and the Sydneysider's 24.5.

However, Crawford and her coach Ben Alexander were very pleased with the way she boarded to record her second best result of the season and her 12th World Cup podium.

While Alexander was full of praise for Crawford, he was equally complimentary of Crawford's teammate and fellow World Champion Nathan Johnstone.

Johnstone went into the Stoneham event as the competition leader but an aggressive stomach virus prevented the AIS/NSWIS scholarship holder from training all week. In fact, Johnstone was so ill that he was taken to hospital and was bed ridden for part of the lead up period.

Despite competing well below full physical strength, the 21-year-old matched his undeniable athletic ability with enormous courage and determination to qualifying in first place on 27.2 points, 1.6 points ahead of Japan's Taku Hiraoka.

Days of not being able to eat during the lead up to the final took its toll, sapping the Australian of energy and preventing Johnstone, who notched his maiden World Cup victory in China only five days ago, from performing at his best. He finished in 10th.

The event was a clean sweep for Japanese riders, Ryo Aono, Taku Hiraoka and Kazuumi Fujita, who finished 1-2-3.

Alexander said that Johnstone showed tremendous maturity and to compete at all was a credit to the Australian.

"I thought Nate was amazing. When you consider that his first time in the pipe all week was in competition, and he was still effected by the illness, I was really impressed by the way he competed," Alexander said.

Crawford's close second at Canadian World Cup

19/2/2011

Johnstone claims maiden World Cup win

14/2/2011

Australian snowboard halfpiper Nathan Johnstone added a World Cup victory In Yabuli, China, last night to his recent World Championship crown.

Just four days after celebrating his 21st birthday, Johnstone recorded his first World Cup victory in 11 career starts, which elevates him to equal leader of this year's points table.

Although only two rounds of this year's World Cup have been completed, the win in China's north eastern Heilongjiang province in -20 C temperatures will enable Johnstone to mount a serious assault on this year's World Cup title, a feat that no other Australian has achieved.

Since finishing the 2008/2009 season as the number two ranked World Cup halfpipe rider, he has consistently shown that a World Cup title could soon be added to his already-impressive resume.

Johnstone's win in the Yabuli event, the first halfpipe World Cup event to be staged on Chinese soil, saw him finish ahead of China's Yiwei Zhang, with compatriot Wancheng Shi in third place.

The AIS/NSWIS scholarship holder was supremely dominant in his first run, finishing the first stage 5.5 points in front of the next best athlete, China's Wancheng Shi.

Johnstone, who was clearly the top qualifier earlier in the day, continued the form that captured his first World Championship title in Spain last month, by finishing with a resounding 27.6 points out of a possible 30 in his second and final run of the day.

A clean run of a frontside 900 mute to backside 900 melon, back-to-back 720s and a front side air put an end to the hopes of Johnstone's rivals.

In the women's event, Johnstone's teammate and fellow World Champion, Holly Crawford, was unable to repeat the form which enabled her to win in Spain last month, narrowly missing the podium in fourth place.

Australia wins World Championship double

21/1/2011

Australia's snowboard halfpipe team has capped off an unbelievable 48 hours at the World Championships in La Molina, Spain, by adding another two World Championship titles.

Victories by Australian Institute of Sport/NSW Institute of Sport scholarship holders Holly Crawford and Nathan Johnstone in the men's and women's halfpipe finals follow Alex "Chumpy" Pullin's historic gold in the snowboard cross, leaving Australia on top of the medal tally at the FIS Snowboard World Championships.

For 26-year-old Crawford and 20-year-old Johnstone, both from NSW's Perisher resort, the World titles are their career-best achievements.

Crawford not only had to battle against her competition, she also had to contend with a severe bout of food poisoning that left her extremely lethargic going into the final.

But not even food poisoning could prevent Crawford from getting caught up in the excitement of the biggest victory of her career.

"I am overjoyed and extremely happy," Crawford said.

"The important thing today was staying calm. A number of the other girls looked like they were pushing it a little too hard. I remained relaxed and did the basics as well as possible, which is what we have been focusing on in practice."

Johnstone said that he used the prospect of winning the World Championships as a goal to spur himself on during his eight-month recovery period after breaking his ankle and missing the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.

"Winning today means a lot," Johnstone said. "I've been training really hard this season and targeted this event to do well. I'm stoked."

Johnstone is not going to rest on his laurels and has set himself the goal of winning the 2010/2011World Cup tour.

Halfpipe head coach Ben Alexander said that the cornerstone of Crawford's and Johnstone's titles are linked to keeping the "fun" element in training.

"Obviously hard work is important but we have been concentrating on making sure they continue to enjoy their snowboarding," Alexander said.

"It's important to keep it simple and keep going big. Today they had good amplitude and great execution."

Crawford set up the World Championship title by grabbing the lead in her first run with a stunning performance overcoming a howling wind that caused havoc for most of the other athletes.

She finished on 26.7 points, 3.3 points ahead of Swiss rider Ursina Haller with China's defending World Champion Jiayu Liu making up the other podium place with 22.5 points.

Johnstone also won his title with his first run and, like his teammate, handled the conditions better than the other 11 finalists finishing on 26.8 points, 0.6 ahead of Switzerland's Iouri Podladtchikov. Fin Markus Malin was in third place, a further 2.5 points behind the Australian.

Crawford, a veteran of nine years on Australia's national team and 11 World Cup podiums, now adds a gold medal to the silver she won in the 2009 World Championships in Gangwon, Korea.

Crawford and Johnstone will not have long to savor their wins - they head to Aspen, Colorado, in the United States, to compete in the X-Games within two days.

<<Previous

Forward>>

James makes an impact

Australians impress at Dew Tour

Snowboard Halfpipe international season preparation update

Season's positive start to Sochi

Crawford’s podium finish at Olympic test event

Crawford’s World Championship silver medal

Johnstone and Bright both win at Copper Mountain

Aussies make their mark in Breckenridge

Australia's good signs on the horizon

Johnstone impresses with finals result at Euro X-Games & Torah back in action

Johnstone wins with career best form

Johnstone narrowly misses medal

World Champs add new tricks

Crawford wins NSWIS Female Athlete of the Year

AIS Athlete of the Year finalists named

Crawford comes out fighting

World champions share snowsports top honour

World champions share snowsports top honour

Johnstone makes it two World Cup titles in two days

Double Gold in World Cup

World Cup silver medal duo in Calgary

Crawford's close second at Canadian World Cup

Crawford's close second at Canadian World Cup

Johnstone claims maiden World Cup win

Australia wins World Championship double

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