As the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics draw to a close, the Games delivered memorable breakthroughs for emerging nations while reinforcing Australia’s growing stature as a winter sports contender.

Brazil and Georgia each secured their first-ever Winter Olympic medals, marking significant milestones. Brazil’s gold was particularly historic, the country’s first at the Winter Games and the first for South America. While the Winter Olympics remain largely dominated by European nations, athletes from tropical and Southern Hemisphere countries are increasingly making their mark. Though podium finishes remain limited, they signal a shifting landscape in winter sport.

The Games also reflected the global nature of modern competition, with athletes of diverse backgrounds contributing to national success stories.

Anthony Makes History in Dual Moguls

Australia’s Jakara Anthony rebounded from disappointment to cement her place in the history books. After failing to defend her individual moguls title, she captured gold in the debut Olympic event of dual moguls, becoming Australia’s most decorated Winter Olympian.

Anthony entered the Games as the defending champion in women’s moguls, having won gold in Beijing four years ago. In Livigno, however, she finished eighth in the individual event. 

Regrouping quickly, she turned her focus to dual moguls and delivered a commanding performance, overcoming U.S. rival Jaelin Kauf to secure her second Olympic gold.

On winning her second gold, she said, “This one is really different from the last one because I picked this up after the heartbreak of the other day. It speaks a lot to the support I have around me and the work I’ve done on the mental side of things as well, to be able to handle that and rip it up.”

Kauf claimed silver, while fellow American Elizabeth Lemley added bronze to her earlier moguls gold.

Baff and Woods Deliver Gold for Australia

Josie Baff added another highlight for Australia with a dramatic gold medal performance in snowboard cross. After qualifying struggles, including a 17th-place time trial and a tight quarter-final finish, the 23-year-old surged in the semi-final with a decisive inside move to reach the final. She then capitalized on her racing lines to claim gold, a major improvement from her 18th-place finish in Beijing.

“I would like to say that I can’t believe it, but I kind of can. I feel like I deserve it. I put in a lot of hard work, so I knew I could do it, but to actually have that gold medal around my neck is very, very cool,” the Australian said.

“There’s been a lot of sacrifice, a lot of sweat, a lot of tears, and probably not as much blood. 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.”

In men’s moguls, Cooper Woods delivered one of the Games’ standout performances. Tied on 83.71 points with Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury in the super final, Woods secured gold on the strength of superior turns. Kingsbury earned his third Olympic silver to add to his PyeongChang 2018 gold, while Japan’s Horishima Ikuma repeated his bronze from Beijing 2022.

Woods, who had only one World Cup podium finish prior to these Games, rose from 22nd in the World Cup standings to Olympic champion. After a modest start in qualification, he improved steadily, posting 83.60 in the first final before matching that score in the super final to clinch gold.

“It’s something you dream of,” he said. “Day in, day out, as a kid, through the hard days, through the good days. It’s an absolute journey, and a lot of people don’t get to be in this position.

“But you know what? I’m very proud of the hard work and the sacrifice and the moments that I’ve shared with people around the world and, more importantly, my family. I don’t spend a lot of time back home in Australia; countries we don’t have a lot of snow, so it’s everyone’s medal, not just mine.”

Scott Claims Long-Awaited Medal

Veteran freestyle skier Danielle Scott secured her first Olympic medal in women’s aerials, taking silver in her fourth Games appearance. After topping the standings in the first final with the day’s highest score, she was ultimately surpassed by China’s Xu Mengtao, who retained her Olympic title. China’s Shao Qi completed the podium.

Scott, who debuted at Sochi and had narrowly missed the podium in previous Games, described the medal as a culmination of years of effort.

“It’s honestly finally the icing on the cake I needed,” she said after clinching silver. “To go to four Olympics and to have walked away from the last two without a medal was pretty heartbreaking. I didn’t even think I would be at these Olympics because it is tough.

“You dedicate your life to something, and when it doesn’t really pay off, you question why you do it. But I knew I had it in me, and to finally put something down today that I needed to and walk away with a silver medal is really special.”

Silver for James, Bronze for Graham

In men’s snowboard halfpipe, Australia’s Scotty James earned silver after Japan’s Totsuka Yuto scored 95.00 on his second run to claim gold. Yamada Ryusei completed a strong showing for Japan with bronze.

James, who previously won bronze in PyeongChang and silver in Beijing, posted 93.50 on his second run but fell short of gold after a mistake in his final attempt. He later described the result as “bittersweet.”

Matt Graham added bronze in the men’s dual moguls, becoming one of the first medalists in the newly introduced event. After narrowly missing the podium in the individual competition, he rebounded to defeat Japan’s Shimakawa Takuya 20–15 in the bronze medal contest.

Australia’s medal tally could yet improve, with 16-year-old Indra Brown set to compete in the postponed women’s freeski halfpipe final after qualifying fourth.

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