Aussie Baff storms to snowboard cross gold medal
Melissa Woods |
Josie Baff has been left wiping away tears of joy after doubling Australia’s Olympic gold medal haul by storming to a superb victory in the women’s snowboard cross event at Milan-Cortina.
The 23-year-old cried and jumped in delight on the podium after becoming the first Australian woman to medal in the event, with her triumph coming less than 24 hours after the shock win by Cooper Woods in the moguls.
It’s the first time since 2010 in Vancouver that Australia have celebrated two golds in a Games.
The Jindabyne ace was quite brilliantly daring in both her semi-final and the four-racer Big Final at Livigno Snow Park on Friday, as she slipped through on the inside with immaculate overtaking manoeuvres to win both races.
Baff, the world championship runner-up in 2023, had to do it the hard way too, after revealing she had suffered flu earlier in the week.
She pipped both the racer who beat her for gold three years ago, Czech star Eva Adamczykova, and reigning world champ and 2018 Olympic gold medallist, Italian Michela Moioli in a thrilling final.
It marked Baff’s remarkable progression from being a youth Olympic champion in Lausanne six years ago to now ruling the roost in the senior Games, and her tears flowed copiously.
“I actually am just in shock. I’m so happy. It’s amazing, I can’t really believe it, I knew I could do it, and I knew deep down that I had what it took,” she said.
“I haven’t won in a very long time, and to win here at this event and have one of the world’s most sought-after gold medals around my neck is absolutely incredible, and I wouldn’t change anything for the world.”
It won her Australia’s second ever snowboard cross medal after Jarryd Hughes had taken silver in the men’s race eight years ago in Pyeongchang.
Baff had arrived in strong form, sitting in the world No.2 ranking, but she had a slow start to the day and finished only 17th in the seedings.
But Baff showed her class to win her first race and move through to the quarter-finals, where she finished second.
She charged through her semi-final, swooping past two rivals with one superb overtake, to cross at the head of the four-racer field.
Then she couldn’t be stopped in the medal race as she again bided her time before whipping past Swiss rider Noemie Wiedmer on the inside to take a lead she never relinquished.
She crossed the line just clear of the charging top seed Adamczykova, who took silver, and home favourite Moioli, who ended with the bronze.
AAP
