Source : ABC NEWS
Josie Baff’s stunning Winter Olympic gold medal in the snowboard cross has come as a welcome salve to a hurting team in Livigno.
Australia’s men struggled in tough conditions on Thursday, with none of the three competitors — Jarryd Hughes, Adam Lambert of Jimmy Johnstone — able to get out of their first heat.
A considerable weight pressed down on the men ever since Cameron Bolton was forced from the team after breaking his neck in a training crash.
Lambert, the World Cup standings leader and long-time roommate of Bolton, said seeing his friend airlifted to hospital was enormously emotional and affected him despite his best efforts.
“I never want to see a teammate, let alone a friend, go down with such a terrible injury,” Lambert said after his race on Thursday.
“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 … “
Baff also said that Bolton’s absence was a huge downer on the whole group, but that a text from him she received earlier in the day added to her belief that she could do something special.
Josie Baff said it was heartbreaking that Cam Bolton could not be there to see her win. (Supplied: OWIA/Chris Hocking)
“To not have Cam here was pretty heartbreaking,” Baff said.
“He was texting me last night, he was like, ‘You know, you can win this race, Josie,’ and I was like, ‘I know I can.’
“So to see that message from him is super special, because it does feel like a big chunk of the team is missing without him here.
“It was nice to have that message and to know that he’s watching and cheering and that he’s in good spirits.”
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) announced on Thursday, hours after Baff crossed the line in first place, that Bolton was due to be moved to Melbourne by medical flight to continue his rehabilitation.
“After further scans and assessment in Milan, the Australian Olympic medical team have been consulting with expert Australian spinal surgeons to discuss Cam Bolton’s case management, medically and holistically,” an AOC statement read.
Josie Baff and Cam Bolton had a successful partnership at the World Championships. (Supplied: FIS Snowboard)
“As a result, a decision has been made that the best and safest line of management is for Cam to return to Melbourne, Australia where he will have further definitive treatment.
“An expert international medical transfer company will transport Cam to Australia and have confirmed their medical team will arrive in Milan on Sunday 15 February to make an assessment.
“Cam will return to Australia on Monday 16 February accompanied by a specialist retrieval doctor and nurse.”
Baff is close with Bolton — they partnered to win mixed-team world championship gold in Erzurum in 2025.
“Cam, I would say, like very early on in Beijing, I remember a lot of conversations and after that we had a very, very close relationship,” Baff said.
“He’s taught me a lot. Eventually, I guess I started to learn things for myself, as well.
“But Cam definitely had a very big part tactically, early on … and also [with] my belief in things, like he was always telling me that I could do it.”
Travelling with each other for several months of the year for training and competitions, the group has become incredibly close.
“The team is definitely a family,” Baff said.
“The coaches, you know, they’re like second dads to us.
“You know, we have a lot of banter, we have fights … it’s quite funny, to be honest — we’re with each other all the time, we’re living out of each other’s skin, so it’s inevitable.
“But we are one big happy family.”
