With the Milano Cortina Winter Games still underway, the Australian Olympic team has already exceeded previous medal records, an achievement that team chef de mission Alisa Camplin describes as “astonishing”.
Jakara Anthony has now become Australia’s most successful Winter Olympian, surpassing snowboarder Scotty James, by winning the historic dual moguls gold on Saturday.
Although she entered the games as a strong contender, Anthony couldn’t retain her title in the individual moguls event earlier in the week due to a slip during the finals.
Anthony’s victory brought Australia’s medal count to four, with another week of competition remaining. Her gold joins those already earned by moguls teammate Cooper Woods and snowboard cross competitor Josie Baff, as well as James’s silver in the halfpipe.
Australia had previously secured four medals at the Beijing Olympics, including just one gold.
“In Beijing, we also won four medals, but with only one gold,” Camplin noted, reflecting on past performances. “Back in 2010, we achieved two golds and a silver. Now, with three golds and a silver, we’ve clearly set a new benchmark,” added Camplin, herself a former two-time aerials medalist.
“We had four medals in Beijing, and back in 2010 we had two golds and a silver, and we now have three golds and a silver, so we’ve certainly surpassed previous performances,” said Camplin, herself a two-time aerials medallist.
“It was hard last night seeing Scotty James, he was gunning for gold and until today he was our most decorated Olympian with bronze and two silver and now Jakara winning two golds, we’re in rarified air. It’s unprecedented times for winter sport.
There are more medal chances to come with Woods and Matt Graham leading the charge in the men’s dual moguls on Sunday, while Bree Walker is ranked world No. 2 in the monobob and teenage freeskier Indra Brown has won a World Cup in the halfpipe.
While Laura Peel was forced out of the aerials after rupturing her ACL, fellow veteran Danielle Scott could also podium.
“Every team is unique and we’ve just grown over time. The inter-generational sharing of experience and culture and wisdom and ongoing funding from the government, it’s enabled us to build and build and build,” Camplin said.
“It’s everything we could have dreamed of. We had a great team, highly-credentialed and we’re only halfway through and we’ve had our most historic result so I’m pretty overwhelmed to be honest.
“When we looked at the schedule of the way the Games was set up, there was potential for it to happen.
“You’re talking about serious competitors. None of these have been good luck — they’ve all been hard work and preparation.
“We’ve worked really hard as a winter sport community and industry to deliver those kinds of results.
“Across all clusters we’re just in this amazing space of teamwork and culture of good people and excellence and I hope Australia can feel it and that we’re inspiring everyone back home because what’s happening is pretty special.”
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