2026 Snow Australia Awards Athletes of the Year - Olympic

he Snow Australia Awards celebrate the standout performances and defining moments of our elite snowsport athletes over the past year. Today, they’re proud to honour the 2026 Athletes of the Year across the Olympic disciplines, as nominated by their National Discipline Committees.

These athletes are now nominated for the overall Athlete of the Year - Olympic Disciplines, which will be presented at the Snow Australia Awards on Thursday 23 April in Melbourne.

Female Athletes

Alpine Skiing

Madi Hoffman

Madi delivered a strong run of results on the NorAm circuit, including a second‑place finish and two additional top‑five slalom results. Her season culminated in selection to Australia’s team for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

Ski Cross

Kyra Wheatley

Competing across World and European Cup events, Kyra recorded a top‑25 finish at the Montafon (AUT) World Cup and made her Olympic debut at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, where she also placed 25th.

Cross Country

Rosie Fordham

Rosie delivered standout performances across the Olympic Winter Games, World Cup circuit and major international events. She claimed victories at the Swiss Championships in the 10km and at the NCAA Finals, winning both the 7.5km and 20km. At the Olympic Winter Games, she was part of Australia’s first‑ever Olympic Relay Team Sprint quartet, finishing 18th, and placed 29th in the 50km C. On the World Cup stage, she finished 13th in the 10km F in Davos (SUI) and 16th in the 20km F at Lake Placid (USA).

Aerials

Danielle Scott

Before being named to her fourth Australian Olympic Team, Danielle secured back‑to‑back World Cup podiums at Lake Placid (USA), winning one event and placing third in the other. At Milano Cortina, she delivered an immaculate full‑full‑full in Final 1, scoring a personal‑best 117.19 - the highest score of the day - to advance to the Super Final. In the one‑jump showdown, another strong full‑full‑full earned her 102.17 and the Olympic silver medal.

Moguls

Jakara Anthony

At the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games, Jakara Anthony became the first woman to win Olympic gold in dual moguls, securing the second Olympic title of her career. She powered through five rounds of head‑to‑head racing with trademark precision and consistency. Alongside her Olympic triumph, Anthony claimed three World Cup victories and secured the 2026 Crystal Globe - the seventh of her career.

Snowboard Slopestyle/ Big Air

Ally Hickman

Ally opened her season in style, winning her first World Cup medal at Steamboat (USA). She went on to represent Australia at the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games in Big Air and Slopestyle, delivering a standout top‑seven finish in Slopestyle.

Snowboard Halfpipe

Amelie Haskell

Competing on the World Cup circuit, Amelie achieved a top‑eight result at Buttermilk (USA). Making her Olympic debut at Milano Cortina, she finished 20th in the halfpipe event.

Freeski Halfpipe

Indra Brown

Indra rewrote the history books in her first World Cup season. She burst onto the circuit with a bronze medal in her halfpipe debut, then added two more podiums - including her maiden World Cup victory. She went on to win the Junior World Championship title and delivered an impressive fifth‑place finish on Olympic debut. She closed out a remarkable rookie season ranked second overall.

SkiMo

Lara Hamilton

Lara became Australia’s first female Ski Mountaineering athlete to compete at an Olympic Games. Teaming with Phil Bellingham, the pair placed 12th in the Mixed Relay, while individually Lara finished 18th in the Sprint.

Snowboard Cross

Josie Baff

Josie became an Olympic Champion in women’s snowboard cross, delivering an exceptional performance through the heats to claim the top step of the Olympic podium. With three World Cup podiums across the season, she also finished fourth overall in the World Cup standings.

Male Athletes of the Year

Alpine Skiing

Harry Laidlaw

With strong European Cup results, including a top-20 finish in the Turnau (AUT) Giant Slalom, and selection to his second Olympic Winter Games team, Harry earns the Alpine Skiing nomination for Male Athlete of the Year.

Ski Cross

Liam Michael

Competing across European and World Cup events, Liam’s season highlight came at the Craigleith World Cup (CAN), where he achieved a top-30 finish.

Cross Country

Hugo Hinckfuss

Hugo delivered a packed season across the World Cup and U23 World Ski Championships, capped by standout performances at the Olympic Winter Games. He placed 42nd in the Olympic Sprint - the best-ever Olympic sprint result by an Australian. In the Olympic Team Sprint, a ninth-place qualifying result saw Hinckfuss and Lars Young Vik finish 14th overall, marking the first time Australia has reached the finals in this event.

Aerials

Reilly Flanagan

Reilly completed a full World Cup schedule before making his Olympic Winter Games debut, where he teamed with Danielle Scott and Abbey Wilcox to finish fourth in the Team event.

Moguls

Cooper Woods

Cooper became an Olympic Champion at the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games, defeating moguls legend Mikael Kingsbury and other top contenders. After progressing through Qualification Run 2, he topped the first final with a score of 83.60, earning the right to ski last in the super final for the first time in his career. Under immense pressure, he delivered an even stronger run, scoring 83.71 to claim the gold.

Snowboard Slopestyle/ Big Air

Valentino Guseli

Val finished 10th in Big Air at the Olympic Winter Games after an exceptional qualifying performance to reach the finals. A ninth-place result at the Flachau (AUT) World Cup, combined with consistent strong results throughout the season, secured him second overall in the rankings.

Snowboard Halfpipe

Scotty James

Scotty James won his third Olympic medal - a silver - at the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games, marking his fifth Olympic appearance. He continued his dominance with an outstanding season, claiming his eighth X Games title and winning the Laax World Cup.

Freeski Slopestyle/ Big Air

Joey Elliss

Joey competed across World and European Cup events, with his season-best performance coming at the Big Air European Cup in La Clusaz (FRA), where he finished fourth.

SkiMo

Phil Bellingham

Phil became a four-time Olympian at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games and Australia’s first male Ski Mountaineering athlete at an Olympics. After placing fifth in his heat, he advanced to the semifinal and finished 12th overall. Teaming with Lara Hamilton, he also placed 12th in the Mixed Relay.

Snowboard Cross

Adam Lambert

Adam finished the season ranked second in the World Cup standings, collecting two World Cup victories and four podiums. At the Olympic Winter Games, he competed in both the individual and team events, placing fourth alongside Josie Baff in the latter.