Snowboard cross heartbreak a long time in the making

Source : ABC NEWS

Things have simply not gone to plan for Australia’s men’s snowboard cross riders at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

And to be honest how could any of the men competing be focused when one of their teammates was recovering from a broken neck suffered just days before?

Losing Cam Bolton put the entire squad on the back foot, and there they remained, with none of the three riders making it past the round of 16 on day six in Livigno.

And although all three riders tried to play it down, the trials and tribulations all have faced in recent weeks clearly played a role in their respective performances, with Adam Lambert particularly emotional when speaking about his good friend.

“I never want to see a teammate, let alone a friend, go down with such a terrible injury,” a teary Lambert said after his race.

“He’s playing it down but it’s hard to watch somebody who you’ve looked up to your whole life go out like that, and then have to get airlifted to hospital.

“Yeah, it affected me a little bit. I tried to not let it affect me, but …” he said, before trailing off.

Lambert had come into this Olympics in career-best form.

Not only was Lambert the FIS World Cup series leader but had claimed a first ever career World Cup medal in Dongbeiya after eight years of trying.

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“Fourth place in the first heat is definitely not the level of riding that I’ve been showing this year,” Lambert said.

“It wasn’t my greatest performance. Pretty disappointed overall, obviously, but my training over the last few days definitely indicated I was better than that.”

So much has been made of the injuries that have torn through the Australian team to start this Olympics, but none have been as badly affected as the snowboard cross team.

It was only in the weeks before the Games that former world champion Belle Brockhoff, who broke her back in March last year and finished in fourth at the last Olympics, was finally forced to retire from the sport as a result of her injuries.

Brockhoff had contested the mixed team event in Beijing with Bolton, finishing ninth.

Now both were facing lengthy recovery periods.

‘They were the ones that believed, not me’

Even one of the athletes who did make the start line in Livigno, Jarryd Hughes, only just made it.

The 30-year-old suffered a horror foot injury 10 months ago at Mont Sainte Anne when his navicular bone splintered, threatening his career.

He can barely walk and only had four days on snow before qualifying for the Games, and the toll it is taking on him is severe.

After his seeding runs earlier in the day he was left doubled over, pain etched across his face as clearly as the gouges in the snow on course.

“Oh, astronomical,” Hughes said of the impact his injury has had on him.

“I mean … I didn’t think I would make these Games, let alone be on snow at this point.

“Between our medical staff and everybody who’s helped out — because there’s a massive crew to get me back to this point — they were the ones that believed, not me.”

Hughes, who confirmed that this Olympics would be his last competition, said getting to the start line was an achievement in itself.

“It’s been nice to be able to do it because the last 10 months has been kind of hell,” he said.

“I couldn’t walk for four months, and then trying to get back on a snowboard and try and compete at the top level.

“It’s nice to be here and compete at my fourth Olympics. I didn’t think I would come to one Olympics, most people didn’t think I was good enough to do it when I was younger. So to now be standing here at my fourth it’s pretty incredible.”

‘Bittersweet’ debut

The emotional toll that Bolton’s injury had on the squad was in evidence even before the competition got underway.

Jimmy Johnstone was only told on Tuesday that he would be competing, his obvious excitement and enthusiasm tempered by the disappointment and concern he held for his role model.

“Obviously it’s bittersweet with everything that’s happened with Cam,” the 21-year-old said on Wednesday.

“Cam, for me, has been a massive role model and inspiration for me in my snowboard cross career.

“He’s been a really good teammate to me the last year or so since I came onto the World Cup team, so to see him go out like that it’s a real shame and I’m gutted for him.”

After the race, as the snow fell and the wind howled, turning what had been a warm day into a chilly one, Johnstone said he had been in touch with Bolton.

“He earned this spot and he was going to compete, and, in my opinion, he was a medal chance,” Johnstone said.

“So it’s devastating for him.

“But it’s an opportunity for me, and he sent me a message and I was texting back and forth with him and I said to him ‘mate, this is for you and I’ll be doing it for you and I’ll leave it all out there’.

“He gave me a few words of encouragement which was really nice.

“I hope he’s doing alright, from what I hear he’s doing OK. It’s a crazy moment and it’s such a shame.”

The 21-year-old may well be blessed to be at the Games but he is clearly no slouch.

In 2023 he was crowned junior world champion in Italy at Passo San Pellegrino and has had 15 starts on the World Cup circuit with a career high of 24th.

This year he has mostly been competing on the Europa Cup circuit where he sits fifth overall.

Since the last World Cup event in Dongbeiya, Johnstone has competed six times in France and Austria so is certainly race sharp.

But his lack of practise on the Olympic course showed as he finished 30th-fastest in the seeding round.

Although he raced to the front at the start of his heat he was unable to finish it off and went out of the competition.

Prior to getting on course for the first qualification run Johnstone had only ever been down it three times — far too few to get a proper read on conditions or the character of the course, especially for someone so young and relatively inexperienced.