Australia’s stars at the Winter Olympics are ready to excel on the ultimate stage in Milano Cortina – and a handful have been widely tipped to be gold medal chances.
The 16-day event begins on February 6 with the opening ceremony in Milan.
As a nation, Australia is fielding 53 athletes to compete across 12 different sports.
Below are the most likely Aussie athletes to grace the podium.
JAKARA ANTHONY
Jakara Anthony (pictured) became Australia’s sixth Winter Olympic gold medallist in Beijing four years ago
Australia’s most recent Winter Olympics gold medallist is a genuine chance to defend her title in the freestyle skiing moguls.
Since her Beijing triumph, the 27-year-old from Queensland has been a model of consistency.
But she has also endured significant heartbreak.
Anthony achieved a record haul of points and wins in the 2023/24 World Cup season.
Not long after her success she suffered a broken collarbone during a training session.
She has since returned and won two World Cup events to send a message to her rivals.
VALENTINO GUSELI
Young gun Valentino Guseli (pictured) has already enjoyed an incredible amount of success as a snowboarder
Guseli has enjoyed a rapid rise after making his Olympics debut at just 16, where the Canberra-born snowboarder finished 6th in the halfpipe in Beijing.
Since then he has won medals in slopestyle, big air and halfpipe events, and is aiming to become the first male snowboarder to enter all three disciplines at the Games.
The 20-year-old’s journey hasn’t always been easy.
He returned in dominant fashion after undergoing ACL surgery at the end of 2024.
Guseli is also the youngest snowboarder in history to perform a double backflip, after completing the impressive feat at just 11.
INDRA BROWN
Indra Brown (pictured) has enjoyed success at a number of recent skiing World Cup events
Brown is set to make her Olympics debut as a teenager.
The 16-year-old skier could become the youngest Aussie Winter Games medallist if she’s able to stand on the podium.
The Melbourne-born athlete’s pet event is the halfpipe.
She planned on competing at the 2030 Games in Nice’s French Alps, but comfortably qualified for Milan.
Brown has won bronze, silver and gold at her first three World Cup events.
SCOTTY JAMES
Scotty James (pictured) is still searching for an Olympic Gold medal to add to his long list of career achievements
The veteran snowboarder is remarkably set to compete at his sixth Winter Olympics.
The halfpipe competitor, 31, has won World Cup gold medals, world championship gold medals, crystal globes and X Games titles.
But his eyes will be firmly set on the gold medal in Milan.
It is an accolade that has so far eluded him across his decorated 15-year career.
In his final tournament before the Milano-Cortina event, he claimed his fifth consecutive X Games gold medal, the eighth of his career.
BREE WALKER
Bree Walker (pictured) is favoured to win Australia’s first bobsleigh Olympic gold medal
Walker, the 33-year-old bobsledder, has won 17 World Cup medals in her career.
She’s also stood on the podium on five occasions from seven World Cup starts.
Walker is set to join other sliders in the newly-rebuilt Cortina d’Ampezzo circuit, where she’s expected to hit speeds of 125km/h.
She comes into the event at Milano Cortina at No.2 in the world rankings.
The veteran athlete also brings a wealth of experience from another sport.
Walker is a former track athlete who specialised in the 400-metre hurdles.
She successfully transitioned to being a professional bobsledder 10 years ago.
Walker will compete in the monobob event (single-seat bobsledding) and also the dual-bobsleigh event with teammate Kiara Reddingius.
The Winter Olympics will be screened on Channel Nine and Stan Sport, with the opening ceremony on Saturday, February 7 at 6am AEDT.
