Cooper Woods wins Australia’s first gold medal at Milano Cortina
This image left him in the dumps and seeking outside validation.
“After the first qualifier, I had a pretty in-depth meeting with my sports psychologist and I felt pretty lost as an athlete,” Woods said.
Cooper Woods reacts after winning the gold medal in the men’s freestyle.Credit: Getty
“I felt like I had my heart skipped a beat in the first quarter and I actually thought, ‘Oh, what if we turn it around in a few days?’ we talked about. It’s truly crazy what’s happened in just a few days.
“I was pretty nervous on the last run. I had the mentality of trying to loosen things up a little bit today and then this is the last lap and I’m falling last; what’s going on here? My coach Bobby Carroll called me.
“I want to shout out to everyone in Australia; I hear you, we all hear you, the messages are coming through. I’m very happy and proud to represent you on the big stage.”
Woods, who grew up on the NSW South Coast, finished a strong sixth in his Olympic debut four years ago and credited former Wallabies captain John Eales, who became his mentor through the Sport Australia Hall of Fame scholarship programme, with helping him improve his mental preparation for competition.
Gold medalist Cooper Woods of Team Australia celebrates with teammate Matt Graham.Credit: Getty Images
He has deep roots in the sport: both his parents were part of the Australian air team in the 1990s, and he is the nephew of Peter Topalovic, who was the national moguls coach in the 2000s and 2010s.
Woods’ best finish this season was a ninth-place finish in Finland in December, but she managed to perform well on the biggest stage, a day after favorite Jakara Anthony missed the podium in the women’s final.
Australia entered the final with three men, Graham finishing fifth and Jackson Harvey eighth.
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“Our team is amazing,” Woods said. “All our teammates, we all look out for each other and spend a lot of time together on the road, so to give them credit, that’s as much their credit as it is mine.”
The bronze medal went to Ikuma Horishima of Japan, who won the bronze medal in this event at the last Winter Olympics and was leading the World Cup rankings coming into these Games.
None have been done yet. Dual moguls are making their Olympic debut this year and the three of them and women skiers including George Murphy, who failed to reach the final, and Anthony, Charlotte Wilson and Emma Bosco will compete again.
Winter Olympic Games are broadcast on TV 9Network, 9Now And Stan Sports.
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