Josie Baff's Emotional Snowboard Cross Victory Doubles Australia's Winter Olympic Gold Tally
Josie Baff wiped away tears of joy after delivering a superb performance to win gold in the women's snowboard cross event at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. The 23-year-old Australian's triumph marked a historic moment, as she became the first Australian woman ever to medal in this demanding discipline.
Baff's victory came less than twenty-four hours after Cooper Woods' shock gold in the moguls, creating a remarkable double for Australia. This achievement marks the first time since the 2010 Vancouver Games that Australia has celebrated two gold medals in a single Winter Olympics.
Inspired by a Classmate's Triumph
Baff revealed that witnessing Woods' victory provided significant inspiration. The pair share a history, having been former classmates during the winter term in Jindabyne and also crossing paths in junior surf life-saving activities.
'I actually grew up doing surf lifesaving and Cooper was doing that as well so I saw him a lot down in Pambula and I know him and his family super well,' Baff explained. 'Seeing his win definitely sparked a little fire in me...I thought if he can do it, I can do it too.'
A Daring Display of Skill and Determination
Baff demonstrated brilliant daring throughout the competition at Livigno Snow Park. She executed immaculate overtaking manoeuvres in both her semi-final and the intense four-racer medal race, slipping through on the inside to secure victories.
The world championship runner-up from 2023 overcame significant challenges, including battling flu earlier in the week. In a thrilling final, she pipped both Czech star Eva Adamczykova, who had beaten her for gold three years prior, and reigning world champion Michela Moioli of Italy, the 2018 Olympic gold medallist.
Baff felt her victory was earned through relentless hard work since her disappointment at Beijing, where her campaign ended in tears during the opening race.
'It's amazing - I would like to say that I can't believe it, but I kind of can,' she said. 'I feel like I deserve it and I 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. It's definitely something that I've been working towards for a very long time.'
Family Connections and Competitive Journey
Baff's father Peter coached both his daughter and Torah Bright as juniors. Bright remains the only other Australian woman to medal in snowboarding, having won two halfpipe medals.
Despite arriving as world number two, Baff had a slow start, finishing only 17th in the seedings. This placed her against top seed Adamczykova throughout the competition. She showed her class by winning her first race to advance to the quarter-finals, where she finished second in a heart-stopping photo finish.
From that point, Baff was unstoppable. She charged through her semi-final and executed a superb overtake midway through the final to claim gold by a mere 0.04 seconds.
Personal and National Significance
The victory held extra personal significance as Baff's boyfriend, Canadian Eliot Grondin, won silver in the men's snowboard cross event. Her win represents Australia's second ever snowboard cross medal, following Jarryd Hughes' silver in the men's race at Pyeongchang in 2018.
Baff's emotional podium celebration, where she jumped in delight, captured the magnitude of her achievement. Her gold medal not only marks a personal career highlight but significantly boosts Australia's standing at the Winter Olympics, demonstrating the nation's growing prowess in snow sports.
