Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
After storming to a great success in the children’s ski cross event at Milan-Cortina, Josie Baff has been left wiping away tears of happiness.
The 23-year-old became the first American woman to earn a medal in the event less than 24 hours after Cooper Woods ‘ surprise victory in the moguls. She cried and jumped on the podium in joy.
Australia has celebrated two medals in a Games for the first time since 2010 in Vancouver.
The Jindabyne win won both of her semi-final and four-racer Big Final on Friday at Livigno Snow Park thanks to her deftly brave deeds, both of which she slipped through on the inside with flawless driving maneuvers to gain both races.
After revealing she had the virus earlier in the week, Baff, the earth championship runner-up in 2023, had to deal with it as well.
In a exciting last, she pipped both the racer who had previously beaten her for gold three years ago, Bohemian star Eva Adamczykova, and European Michela Moioli, a defending world champion and 2018 Olympic gold medalist, in the race.
It marked Baff’s amazing transition from being a young Olympic hero in Lausanne six years ago to now dominating the older Games, and her tears were overwhelmingly pouring.
” I’m really shocked, really. I’m so glad. She said,” I can’t really believe it, I knew I could do it, and I knew deep down that I had what it took,” and she said,” It’s amazing.”
” I haven’t won in a very long time, and I would never change anything for the world to win here at this occurrence and to have one of the most sought-after gold medals in my chest.”
After Jarryd Hughes won the men’s competition gold eight years ago in Pyeongchang, it became Australia’s second-ever ski cross medal.
Baff had made a powerful start, sitting in the top position in the world. Despite having a slow start to the day, she finished just 17th in the seedings.
However, Baff showed her course to get her first race and advance to the quarter-finals, where she placed minute.
She soared past two rivals in her semi-final, swooping past them with one great overtake, to mix at the top of the four-racer industry.
Then she couldn’t get stopped in the prize contest, biding her time once more before passing European horse Noemie Wiedmer on the inside to get a lead that she never relinquished.
She was only able to pass Moioli and Adamczykova, the major silver medalist, who was chasing after her.
