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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

​IMAGE COPYRIGHT CHRIS HOCKING

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

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

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

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