Thrills, spills and chills – welcome to the 2026 Winter Olympics

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DAY 7 AND DAY 8
Jakara Anthony’s redemption day arrived in a blaze of speed, peak form and pumping adrenaline.

After her shock loss in the moguls final, Anthony dusted off disappointment like it was simply snowflakes off her shoulders and went again.

This time there was no mistake, Anthony claiming her second Olympic gold and making the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics Australia’s most successful ever.

It was heartbreak for Anthony and Australia earlier in the week when she fell short of defending her 2022 Olympic title. Just three days later, competing in the first ever dual moguls event at the Olympics, Anthony out-dashed three American skiers in consecutive head-to-head battles down the mountain in Livigno.

Anthony beat the USA’s Olivia Giaccio to make the semis before besting Elizabeth Lemley in the semi-final. In the final the judges awarded the Aussie the victory, 20 points to Jaelin Kauf’s 15.

You couldn’t wipe the smile off the 27-year-old’s face as she became the first Australian in history to win two Winter Olympic gold medals.

Anthony celebrated the gold with Olympic legend Jessica Fox in touching scenes. Fox had a similar experience at the Tokyo Olympics, missing out on gold in her main event before rebounding to win gold in a new one.

“Man, that’s crazy,” Anthony told Channel 9 when told she had become Australia’s most successful Winter Olympian.

“I’m even just more baffled to be here after the other day,” she said. “It’s been such an emotional rollercoaster the last few days, and I haven’t seen the runs yet, but I think I’m pretty proud of the runs I was able to put down today.”

Anthony said there were “a lot of tears” shed after the disappointment of the moguls final, but she was delighted with how she put that behind her.

“We’ve had a couple more gold medals, but then it was just hanging in the back of my mind, I’ve got one more crack at this, and then it’s another four-year wait,” Anthony said.

“The way we were able to go about today was just phenomenal, we built throughout the day. It was tricky in there. I’m just so proud of what we were able to achieve.”

“I can’t even process it. I just can’t believe it,” Anthony’s mum Sue said.

“She’s amazing to be able to get (that) mindset to where she can come and do that … it’s fantastic. It’s amazing.”

Remarkably, at the time of writing on Sunday morning AEST, Australia was sitting 11th on the Milano Cortina medal tally with three golds, well clear of colder climate nations including Great Britain, China, Canada and Finland.

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SCOTTY JAMES WINS SILVER IN THE HALF-PIPE
Australia’s half-pipe hero and world number 2 Scotty James came agonisingly close to achieving his ambition of winning an Olympic gold but after qualifying first in the heats, the final saw James claim silver in the nailbiting men’s half-pipe final on Saturday.

James was unable to downplay the level of emotion and disappointment and was left in tears the Olympic gold eluded him once more.

James entered the third and final run knowing he needed a perfect run to knock off Japan’s Yuto Totsuka.

For the majority of his run, James had pieced it all together, but on the final trick the Aussie ran out of pipe and crashed as the heartbreak set in.

The 31-year-old entered the final as the overwhelming favourite coming off his X-Games gold medal and performance in the qualifying rounds.

After sliding out on run one, James produced a staggering second run and threw his arms into the air believing he had done what was required.

“Some runs make the highlight reel but some runs create history,” Mitch Tomlinson said for Nine. “Scotty James has just delivered a TKO!”

But the judges saw it slightly differently, awarding him a 93.50, which sat him behind Totsuka’s second run of 95, an advantage the Japanese rode in the third run to claim the gold.

James finished second on the day but his silver medal further cements  his place in Australia's Winter Olympics history and bestowed legend status for all time.

James’ teammate Valentino Guseli’s valiant Olympic campaign meanwhile saw him make the half-pipe final and Australia can look forward to plenty more to come from this blazing talent. Guseli faltered in his opening two runs but put it all together in the third and final run, scoring 88 to finish in fifth place.

BAFF’S WONDER RUN FROM BACK OF THE PACK
Anthony’s and James’ medals added to the precious metal haul after Australia won its second gold medal of the Winter Olympics a day earlier, with Josie Baff winning gold in the women’s snowboard cross.

Baff was always a contender, sitting at number 2 in the world rankings. But she faltered in early competition in Livigno, Italy, and was seeded only 17th on the day of competition.

However, she picked up her pace in the knockout stages.

In the final the 23-year-old, from Cooma in New South Wales, just pipped top seed Eva Adamczyková of the Czech Republic.

Baff’s win was the second gold for Australia at the games after Cooper Woods in the men’s moguls.

The victory also makes her the first ever Australian winner in the women’s Olympic snowboard cross event.

It is Australia’s second Olympic snowboard medal ever and she is only the eighth Australian to win a Winter Olympic gold.

On the podium, she jumped for joy and teared up at her Olympic triumph.

Baff held off a late surge from former champion Adamczyková to win.

She crossed the line in Livigno just 0.04 seconds ahead her Czech rival, who won the event at the 2014 Sochi Games.

Michela Moioli of home nation Italy took out bronze.

Switzerland’s Noemie Wiedmer made the running in the early stages of the race but Baff overtook her on the inside to hit the front, opening up a significant lead. Wiedmer had to settle just outside the top three.

Adamczykova, 32, pushed hard as the competitors went over the final bump but Baff just held on.

DAY 6
Australia’s Cooper Woods has won gold in the men’s moguls in a stunning result at the Winter Olympics.

Three Australians reached the eight-man final late on Thursday night (AEDT) and Woods was the last competitor to make his run down the course in Livigno.

Woods delivered a flawless final run and was given a score of 83.71, tying Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury, who had exactly the same overall score.

But in a moment of thrilling drama, Woods was awarded the gold medal outright because he had a higher score on his turns — Woods’ turn score was 48.40 compared to Kingsbury’s 47.70. .

A moguls score is calculated by a combination of the time taken to finish the course as well as performance on turns and in the air.

Japan’s Ikuma Horishima claimed bronze with a score of 83.44.

Australia’s Matt Graham, silver medallist at the 2022 Olympics, finished fifth in a score of 80.88. Fellow Aussie Jackson Harvey was eighth with a score in the 74.93.

Woods was mobbed by Graham after the result was confirmed as the Aussie contingent celebrated their first gold of the Milano Cortina Games.

Aussie moguls great Britt Cox was emotional in the commentary box on Channel 9, rendered momentarily speechless.

“This is unbelievable. I’m just so happy,” she said.

Woods raised his ski poles in jubilation after seeing the score come through, while Kingsbury, the gold medallist from 2018, was awarded silver due to the scoring decision.

Lydia Lassila said on Channel 9: “Cooper Woods has dethroned the king of mogul skiing.

“He scored the same as Mikael and he had no separation within his legs. There was no bobbles. There was no mistakes in this run.”

Woods is from Pambula on the NSW South Coast and trains out of Perisher Valley.

“I am Cooper Woods and I’m an Olympic champion. C’mon,” Woods told Channel 9.

“I have no words. The highs, the lows, the injuries and the setbacks, all that sacrifice has been for this little thing.

“I was really nervous at the top. I felt pretty lost after qualifiers. It’s just been crazy what has actually happened in the last couple of days.”

Woods missed out on automatic qualification for the final when he finished 15th in the first round of qualifying.

It left him needing to go through the second round of qualifying.

He was the very last skier out of the gate in the second final after he stunned commentators to throw down the best score in the opening run of Friday morning’s final.

The 25-year-old becomes the seventh Australian to win a Winter Olympics gold medal, joining an exclusive club that features Steven Bradbury, Alisa Camplin, Torah Bright, Lydia Lassila, Dale Begg-Smith and Jakara Anthony.

It was Australia’s 20th overall medal in Winter Olympics competition.

The unexpected gold medal will delight the Australian camp after the disappointment in the women’s moguls final where Anthony, the defending champion, unfortunately had an uncharacteristic stumble and missed the medals.

Australia’s Scotty James will go for gold in the men’s half-pipe final on Saturday morning AEST after he set the highest score in the qualifying round.

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DAY 5
Expect the unexpected at these Winter Games as firm favourite Jakara Anthony’s back-to-back medal bid in the moguls went awry. The Australian superstar could not bring her Midas* touch to the final, with a second run that left the crowd gasping in shock and denied Anthony not just her second gold but any place on the podium.

Anthony delivered a superb trick on the top of the course but came unstuck on the tough midsection, losing her rhythm and skiing out in the final.

“I’m bummed,” she said afterwards.

“I think I was skiing and jumping at such a high level and skiing with good speed and I think I really had what it took to win there – I showed that in the first couple of rounds – but I just didn’t put it down on that last time when it counted.”

Anthony, with her razor sharp turns and beautifully executed jumps, was the outright favourite. She had qualified smoothly as the best of the field with a record score of 83.96 but the fairytale finish was not to be.

Anthony said she may have pushed her ski out to get a firmer grip on a mogul, causing her to lose control, but she wanted to review the footage. It was a rare instance of Anthony not able to complete a run; the last time was her first run back from injury in December in Finland.

But Anthony had no complaints about the brutal one run nature of the sport.

“That’s what I love about the sport,” she said. “I love that as performance on demand, you have to perform round after round, it’s not that you get to take three shots at it. I am a perfectionist, so I do like having to perform round after round.”

Anthony’s shock exit meant her nearest rivals were promoted. After trailing Anthony in 2nd and 3rd in the qualifying round, the gold went to USA’s Elizabeth Lemley and the silver to her teammate Jaelin Kauf. Bronze went to Frenchwoman Perrine Laffont, who had only qualified in eighth place. Anthony’s teammate Charlotte Wilson well and truly bettered her qualification journey, finishing ahead of the Beijing gold medallist to take 6th place for Australia.

Anthony does get another crack at bringing home the hardware: the dual moguls, which is a thrilling head-to-head knock out format.

“I will be going into the dual moguls making a few adjustments because that (head-to-head) is a little more speed dependent,’’ she said, noting she didn’t have to wait four years for another medal chance.

“It’s only three days, so I am definitely looking forward to that but I’m sure there will be a few girls out there looking for redemption.’’

MORE INJURIES IN THE ALPS
With Anthony leaving her pet event empty-handed, Australia is still yet to medal at these Games but the international injury count keeps growing. Aussie snowboarder Cameron Bolton was being treated yesterday for a broken neck, while a Chinese female snowboarder was stretchered off the mountain early Thursday morning AEST time.

Liu Jiayu was taking part in her second run in the women’s snowboard half-pipe qualifiers when her board got caught in the snow, sending her tumbling to the ground. The 33-year-old landed awkwardly on her neck, the injury ending the former silver medallist’s Olympic campaign.

LADS LAY IT DOWN IN THE HALF-PIPE
But medal hopes are alive anew thanks to Australia’s hungry half-pipe heroes, Scotty James and Valentino Guseli, who both qualified for the half-pipe final in fine form on Thursday morning AEST. James emerged top of the standings with a commanding display of control, skill and flair, scoring a breathtaking 94 on his first dazzling run, while Valentino is right in the mix, heading into the clean slate of the finals after qualifying 6th.

Japan is now baked in as the team to beat, fielding an elite quad: Yuto Totsuka finished second in the standings on 91.25 and Ryusei Yamada was breathing down his neck in 3rd place with 90.25. Ruka Hirano, scoring 87.50, finished 5th and also comfortably into the final 10 was 7th placegetter Ayumu Hirano on 85.50.

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DAY 4
Australia is poised for a party after Day 4 at the Milano Cortina Games, as Jakara Anthony’s date with destiny arrived.

A bona fide moguls superstar, Anthony has never looked more ready.

Four years after she won Australia’s only gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Victorian game-changer is on the verge of becoming the first Aussie in history to win back to back golds at the Winter Olympics.

It will be an enormous achievement if she pulls it off. It’s far from certain because moguls is a brutal sport and she is up against stiff competition. The strange rules of moguls means she can’t afford any slip ups and has to be perfect when it matters most.

But it’s so far so good for the 27-year-old, after she posted the highest score in the first round of qualifiers, earning herself an automatic place in Wednesday’s first of three finals, exempt from the second round of qualifying.

“My goal was just go out there and put a really clean run down and I was able to do that. I think it was pretty tidy. That’s just what we’ve been working towards in all our training.”

The seven judges awarded Anthony a combined score of 81.54, which takes into account her speed, turns and air jumps.

It was the highest score by any woman moguls skier in the world this year but she wasn’t miles ahead of the field.

Two Americans, Elizabeth Lemley and Olivia Giaccio, both broke the magical 80-point barrier, though none of the scores carry because they all start fresh for each of the three rounds of finals to decide the medals.

“Four years ago I was in the best place that I’d ever been in and I’d say now it’s equivalent, just hopefully a step up,” Anthony said. “I feel just as good as the last Games.

“It’s definitely a bit different coming in as defending champion, but also a really cool opportunity.

“Only one person gets that chance every four years and it’s pretty cool that it’s me this time around.”

Australia’s other two female entrants, Charlotte Wilson and Emma Bosco, both missed out on the top 10 to get automatic qualification but will get another chance in Wednesday’s second round.

The challenging course was also kind to Anthony’s fellow flag-bearer, with fellow mighty mogul skier Matt Graham also booking himself an automatic place in the final at the Winter Olympics in Livigno – but it was a much closer shave than he expected.

In front of a loud and large contingent of Australian fans and family, Graham bobbled on the approach to the final air, and only his vast experience meant that he could rescue a potentially disastrous situation, going on to complete a 1080 trick.

A silver medallist at PyeongChang in 2018, Graham only just scraped into the final when he finished 10th in Tuesday’s first qualifying round, with only the top 10 all going straight through.

Currently ranked second in the world, Graham was left facing a jittery wait to see if he made it after a wobbly run down the bumpy slope, with the judges giving him a score of 75.77, well off his season’s best.

“I just got a little bit out of time and out of rhythm in the middle section and then a little bit hung up on the last turn into the bottom air so, well, not my finest, but a lot of room to improve,’’ said Graham who was kicking himself that of all the runs he had enjoyed on the course over the past three training days he left his worst for the actual completion.

DAY 3
Team Australia is still in the hunt for its first medal after Day 3 of the Winter Olympics. It was heartbreak in the women’s big air final for Tess Coady and Mela Stalker, who finished seventh and 10th respectively with gutsy displays in a fierce contest for podium placings. The gold went to Japan’s Murase Kokomo rose to the occasion, landing her winning jump on her final run.

The women’s freeski slopestyle final saw an upset of sorts as gold hunter Eileen Gu was tipped to claim her first, only to be held back to second spot, claiming the silver behind Team Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud and her back-to-back gold.

Australian’s woke to emotional scenes as Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam won gold at the Winter Olympics in the women’s 1000m speed skating, leaving her fiance Jake Paul in tears in the stands. Leerdam was considered a contender for gold and she delivered on the hype on Tuesday morning (AEDT), setting an Olympic record time of 1:12.31.

Closing out Day 2, Team USA’s global headline performance came from the figure skating star the Kids News team has dubbed the “Amadeus* on Ice”, also known as the “Quad God”: Ilia Malinin, the two-time reigning world champion in his debut Olympics.

Malinin threw down no less than five quadruple jumps, Mozart-like locks in full flight, his own voice heard on the loudspeaker as part of his music accompanying the routine he called The Voice.

When tennis legend Novak Djokovic reportedly leapt to his feet in the stands and cried, “What?” with his head in his hands after Malinin performed a backflip on ice, he spoke for a global audience in awe. Malinin scored 200.03 to nudge out Japan and take his first Olympic gold.

DAY 2
The 2026 Winter Olympics have already seen some major thrills and spills in Milano Cortina, Italy. From American Winter Olympics icon Lindsey Vonn being rushed to hospital, to the crowd-funded Swiss skier Franjo Von Allman winning gold in the men’s downhill, it has been a heart-stopping show so far.

Vonn underwent surgery after breaking her leg in a high-speed crash during Sunday night’s downhill. Vonn had been trying to claim the fourth Olympic medal of her career, despite suffering a ruptured* ACL* in her left knee just over a week ago. Her race ended in agony after just 13 seconds in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Von Allman meanwhile triumphed after tragedy: supported by public donations in his native Switzerland after the death of his father, the Swiss sensation pipped his countryman at the post with his blistering golden run.

Australia’s newest star Valentino Guseli’s fairytale big air outing at the Winter Olympics came to an end after he missed out on a medal in Sunday morning’s final.

Guseli won the heart of the nation when he qualified for the final after getting a late call up to the big air as the Games got underway.

The pressure was intense in the final, as the snowboarders needed the highest possible combined scores from their best two runs out of three attempts to have a crack at getting on the podium.

Guseli had a rough landing on his first run, scoring 23.00, but he recovered to score an impressive 86.75 on his second run — pulling off a switch back side 1980 tail grab, the same move that qualified him for the final.

The run gave the 20-year-old a serious shot at a medal, and he went for the backside 1980 on his third and final run but fell on the landing and slid on his back, giving him a score of 16.50.

“He’s got the half-pipe to come and was bonus points,” Australian Olympic champion Torah Bright said on Channel 9.

“This gave the whole of Australia the excitement we needed to just get our toes into the Winter Olympics. And here we are. Val. Thank you. Thank you for the show.

“If I was Val’s mum and dad, I would just be so proud.”

Nine commentator Mitch Tomlinson said: “Heartbreaking for Val, nonetheless, you’ve warmed the hearts of the whole of Australia.”

“I left it all out there and I have no regrets,” Gueseli said after the final.

“I had a lot of personal wins out there today. I did the trick that I ruptured my ACL on for the first time since I did my ACL, which is a massive personal win for me.

“I’m happy, I really enjoyed snowboarding today. Obviously it’s the Olympics, you take it seriously and really want to put stuff down. The main win for me is how much fun I had.”

Japan’s Kimura Kira produced a clutch final run to claim gold ahead of fellow Japanese snowboarder Ryoma Kimata in silver and China’s Su Yuming, who took the bronze.

Guseli finished 10th, an incredible achievement considering big air is not his main event and he still has the half-pipe to come later in the Olympic program, where he will compete alongside fellow Aussie and serious medal contender* Scotty James.

Aiming for his first gold medal, two-time Olympic medallist James has gone viral with his feel-good dance moves, reprising* the famous Hugh Grant dance in the iconic* romantic comedy Love, Actually. Shimmying through a chalet in socks to the Pointer Sisters’ toe-tapping tune Jump, James’ video is guaranteed to warm the hearts and tickle the funny bone of every Australian. GO YOU AUSSIES!

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POLL

GLOSSARY

• Midas: the saying refers to Greek mythology’s King Midas, who was able to turn everything he touched to gold – but of course that ended very unhappily for him
• bona fide: legitimate, real, genuine
• Amadeus: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the prolific Austrian classical composer and musician (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) who completed more than 800 works in his short life
• ruptured: to cause something to explode, break, or tear
• ACL: anterior cruciate ligament, a crucial piece of tissue inside the knee joint that keeps it firmly fixed, and connects the femur (upper leg bone) to the tibia (lower leg bone)
• contender: someone who competes with other people to try to win something
• reprising: a repeat of something or part of something, especially a piece of music, dance or scene
• iconic: very famous and popular, especially being considered to represent particular opinions or a particular time

EXTRA READING

Aussies to shine at Winter Games

Bluey for Brisbane Games mascot?

Comm Games centenary saved

QUICK QUIZ

What was unusual about the way Cooper Woods was awarded Australia’s first gold medal of the Games?

Jakara Anthony was expected to win the gold in which event?

What is the name of the beloved film that inspired James’ cheeky, uplifting video?

Which athlete earned Team Australia its second gold medal and in what event?

Early in the Games, which athlete, of which nation and in which event turned his personal tragedy to a gold medal-winning Olympic triumph?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY
DAY 5 HIGHLIGHTS

DAY 4 HIGHLIGHTS

DAY 3 HIGHLIGHTS

WINTER OLYMPICS GET UNDERWAY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Which sport?
Choose a favourite Winter Olympics sport. Create a poster. The purpose of the poster is to help other kids understand the rules of the sport, why it will be fantastic to watch and to make them fans. Use your research skills to help you.

Time: allow at least 45 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education

2. Extension
Reading about the athletes in the story, choose the one whose story so far most inspires you. Write sentences explaining your choice, using information from the article.

Time: allow at least 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES #2
1. Winter Olympic Google Doodle
Google Doodle is Google’s playful twist on its logo, often featuring animations, games, or illustrations that celebrate holidays, events, anniversaries and notable figures. It adds a touch of creativity and surprise to the Google homepage, inviting users to engage with the search engine in a fun and interactive way.

This is an example of a Google Doodle used during the Winter Olympics:

Create your own Google Doodle that celebrates one of the many sports or results of the Winter Olympic Games.

Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: Visual Arts, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
There have been some bad injuries in the Winter Olympics thus far.

Do you think dangerous sports should remain in the Olympics? State your reasons.

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES #3
1. Olympic Values
Choose a story that includes one of the following themes at the Winter Olympics:

• Perseverance
• Injury comeback
• Team success
• Fair play
• One of your own

Work with a classmate to decipher what value is shown, and how you might see this same value displayed at school.

Create a poster depicting this value and how you’ve seen it in the Olympics and at your school.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: Visual Arts, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
When it comes to the medal tally, which countries are most successful?

Research the results and analyse the reasons why this may be the case:

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Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Mathematics, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Walking in their shoes
The Winter Olympians that have headed over to Italy have been training tirelessly to represent Australia. Imagine how they must feel as their dreams of competing in the Olympics come true. It’s time to walk in their shoes and imagine what they must be thinking and feeling. Write a descriptive piece recounting your experiences. You may like to include: training in your chosen sport; being selected for the Olympic team; travelling to an exciting destination; life in the Olympic Village and the moments before, during and after your event.