Cooper Woods Claims Historic Winter Olympics Gold in Mogul Skiing
Australia's first gold medal of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics was presented in a moment of pure sporting poetry, as one of the nation's most decorated Olympians bestowed the honour upon one of its most unlikely champions. Canoe superstar Jessica Fox, a six-time Olympic medallist, awarded the gold to mogul skiing winner Cooper Woods, creating an unforgettable intersection of Australian sporting excellence.
An Unlikely Champion Emerges
Cooper Woods entered the Games as a genuine long-shot, with statistics that hardly predicted podium success. The 25-year-old had never won a World Cup event and had only reached the podium once in 51 career starts. His season leading into the Olympics had been underwhelming by competitive standards, making his eventual triumph all the more remarkable.
Against formidable competition including mogul skiing greats Mikael Kingsbury and Ikuma Horishima, Woods delivered a flawless performance on the biggest stage of all. His victory marked not just a personal breakthrough but a historic moment for Australian winter sports.
A Medal Presentation to Remember
The medal ceremony became particularly special when Jessica Fox, serving in her role with the IOC Athletes' Commission, presented Woods with his gold medal. The canoe champion, who had been spending time with the Australian team in Livigno, created a poignant moment that visibly moved both athletes.
"It was an amazing honour to receive my gold medal from a fellow champion," Woods said afterwards. "She's an Aussie icon - so lovely, but it threw me off guard. She was very emotional handing me the medal and it brought a lot of significance to that moment."
Woods described being star-struck by the encounter, noting: "She started tearing up a little bit, and I was just, 'Oh my god, is this Jess Fox!', that was so cool. It was really nice to receive something so elite from an Aussie icon."
A Trio of Australian Champions
The moment became even more significant with the presence of Australian Chef de Mission Alisa Camplin, who won gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics in aerial skiing. Together, Fox, Camplin and Woods formed a powerful trio representing different eras and disciplines of Australian Olympic success.
Fox's connection to the Australian winter sports team extended beyond the medal ceremony. She had been watching earlier when an uncharacteristic error during Jakara Anthony's medal round race saw the defending champion's hopes of successive gold medals slip away. Fox and Anthony had previously connected after the Paris Summer Olympics, where Fox won her third gold medal while Anthony was sidelined with a broken collarbone.
Mutual Respect Between Summer and Winter Athletes
As fellow Olympic champions who have both carried the Australian flag in opening ceremonies, Fox offered Anthony advice on handling the extra attention that comes with defending a title. The canoe star expressed profound admiration for winter athletes, despite being a self-described non-skier.
"Unfortunately, as a summer athlete I've been chasing summer since I was a kid," Fox told AAP. "I skied once as, like an eight-year-old, and then once again in 2018 or 2019, but I thought it was really irresponsible in case I did my ACL just before the Olympics."
She continued with genuine awe: "I look at them and I think winter athletes are just built different - they are incredible, fearless. I'm going to say robust because some of the falls I've seen and they just get back up and ski or snowboard off. It's insane what they do, and I have so much respect and admiration for them."
Woods' gold medal performance, combined with the symbolic medal presentation from one Australian champion to another, created a defining moment for Australia at the Milan-Cortina Games. The unlikely champion had not only defeated skiing legends but had received his prize from one of Australia's most celebrated Olympians, bridging the gap between summer and winter sports in a celebration of national sporting achievement.
