Team principal de mission Alisa Camplin has surpassed previous Olympic medal winners from Australian teams, with the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics only halfway through, calling the achievement “stunning”.
Jakara Anthony overtook snowboarder Scotty James as the most decorated Winter Olympic woman when she claimed the first-ever gold medal in the doubles magnates on Saturday.
After starting as heavy favourite, the Beijing champion had failed to defend her title in the individual event three days earlier after a mistake in the medal round.
Anthony’s medal took the total to four with a week to go – her gold added to the gold won by her teammate Cooper Woods and snowboardcrosser Josie Baff, as well as the silver won by five-time Olympian James in the halfpipe.
Australia had won four medals in Beijing, but only one gold.
‘We are in unprecedented times for winter sports’
“We had four medals in Beijing, and in 2010 we had two golds and a silver, and we now have three golds and a silver, so we have certainly surpassed previous achievements,” said Camplin, himself a two-time medalist in air sports.
“It was hard to watch Scotty James last night, he was looking for gold and until today he was our most decorated Olympian with bronze and two silvers. And with Jakara winning two golds we are in a strange atmosphere. These are unprecedented times for winter sports.
There are further medal chances with Woods and Matt Graham taking the lead in the men’s dual tycoons on Sunday, while Bree Walker is ranked second in the world 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 tearing her ACL, fellow veteran Danielle Scott was also able to take the stage.
“Each team is unique and we have only grown over time. The sharing of experiences, culture and wisdom between generations and continued government funding has allowed us to build and build and build,” said Camplin.
“It’s everything we could have dreamed of. We had a great team, with a lot of qualifications and we’re only halfway through and we’ve achieved our most historic result, so I’m quite overwhelmed to be honest.
“When we looked at the schedule of the way the Games were set up, there was potential for this to happen.
“You’re talking about serious competitors. None of these were a success; it was all hard work and preparation.
“We have worked very hard as a winter sports community and industry to achieve these types of results.
“Across all the clusters, we’re just in this great space of teamwork and culture of good people and excellence and I hope Australia can feel this and we inspire everyone back home because what’s happening is pretty special.”
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