The 23-year-old from Jindabyne, who is ranked world No.2, took down some heavyweights on her way to the podium, eliminating world No.1 Charlotte Bankes and No.9 Sina Siegenthaler in the quarter-finals, and world No. 3 Julia Nirani-Pereira in the semi-finals.
โI was definitely playing a bit tactical,โ she said of the quarter and semi-finals.
โMy starts have been good throughout all the training, and today they werenโt very good. Iโm not sure if it was the nerves, and I kind of have heavy legs when I get nervous, so I definitely was struggling a little bit, but it worked out well for me.
โI just knew that I could pass down low โ turning is my strong suit. Even though I crashed in the seeding run on…I trusted that I could still do it.โ
Australiaโs gold medallist Josie Baff.Credit: Getty Images
The daughter of two ski instructors, her father Peter was on the sidelines when she crossed the line for gold in Livigno.
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โIโm feeling very, very fulfilled right now. My cup is full,โ Peter said.
โItโs sunk in for sure, itโs an incredible feeling, but Iโve always believed in Josie, I believe in all of my children, and I knew she could do it, but with this sport, you never know, and I think it came down to instinct and her own desire and passion.
โAnd also, I think she really felt the support of our nation, of Australia. She felt all of her friends and family here.โ
When Baff crossed the line to win gold, she threw her arms into the air before falling onto the snow.
โProbably a lot of relief,โ Baff said of what she was feeling the moment she crossed the line.
โI was super nervous after seeding, especially because it didnโt go how I imagined it was going โ it wasnโt on my bingo chart โ so I definitely just let everything out. I was already kind of emotional going up into the big final, so to come down and no one was coming next to me over the jump, I was like, โholy crapโ.โ
Baff won Australiaโs first Youth Olympics gold in 2020 in Lausanne before making her Olympic debut in Beijing in 2022 where she finished 17th overall.
More to come
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