Olympic Dream Persists for Hunter Bobsledder After Narrow 2026 Qualifying Miss
Despite a "super disappointing" miss by just one qualifying spot for the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Olympic dream remains very much alive for Hunter bobsledder Hayden Dark. While most of the Australian team is now either settled or en route to Italy's Milano Cortina Games, including Central Coast rookie Abbey Wilcox, Dark will be watching from his home in Maitland.
So Close Yet So Far in Qualification Battle
Dark and his Australian crew competed 14 times across two months overseas, anxiously waiting as final lead-up races and Olympic sled lists were confirmed. Ultimately, the Aussies ended up one roll-down position outside the overall rankings, with attention now turning towards France in 2030.
"The Olympic dream is definitely still there," Dark told the Newcastle Herald. "I think if our boys can have a solid four years of training for the sport, that we will have a red hot chance."
Emotional Season of Highs and Lows
Dark described the season as sparking "a lot of emotions from highs to lows", having only first picked up the sport "this time last year" along with teammates from Sydney and Geelong. The five Aussies headed to the North American Cup, accumulating qualification points at various events from mid-November to mid-January.
This involved:
- 14 races total
- Evenly split between two-man and four-man disciplines
- Spread across three different tracks
A combined tally incorporating World Cup and European-based competitions determined the final Winter Olympics field, with a January 18 deadline. The Aussies managed to keep previous Games representatives Czech Republic and Croatia at bay, but were left hanging on a reallocation position and uncertainty surrounding Israel's participation.
Nail-Biting Finish and Financial Constraints
"The leaderboard can tend to look tricky at times so you've got to keep an eye on it to see where you are," Dark explained. "We finished our last race on the 12th [of January], but the Czech and Croatia [teams] had four more over in Europe to try secure more points and leapfrog us."
Dark revealed the team faced financial constraints: "We could've gone there too, but we didn't have the money to make it there so we had to rely on the races we did in the States."
The tension built daily: "Everyday was a nail biter as we saw them get closer and closer, and on the last day they didn't place high enough and we stayed ahead of the Czech by only 30 points."
Then came more waiting: "After that we had to wait about five more days for the reallocation, so again lots of waiting. It was looking good all up until the morning of when we received an email saying they [Israel] took the spot and we didn't qualify."
Reflection and Looking Forward
Dark, aged 30 and a gym owner, reflected philosophically: "Super disappointing to see, but unfortunately that's the sport. They only take 28 sleds and with around 70 teams I think we did really well."
He emphasized the team's achievements: "With all the brakemen being in the sport for just over a year, I think we achieved a lot. We set an Australian push record and PB'd all our down times on every track from last season, but the level of competition has sky rocketed."
While training across both sleds, Dark's main role for race day was number two on the side of a four-man: "just there for a huge drive phase and then jump in."
Other Australian Winter Sports Prospects
Meanwhile, other Australian athletes are preparing for Milano Cortina:
- Women's bobsled quartet Bree Walker, Desi Johnson, Kiara Reddingius and Sarah Blizzard will fly the Aussie flag in Italy from February 6-22.
- Abbey Wilcox, born in North Gosford with a hometown listed as Somersby, makes her Winter Olympics debut in women's freestyle aerial skiing. The 29-year-old former junior gymnast will be one of Australia's 53-strong team.
- Matt Graham, an alumni of the Newcastle University Snow Sport Club who claimed a silver medal for men's moguls in 2018, returns for a fourth straight campaign.
Notably absent will be Newcastle figure skater Kailani Craine, who called time on her decorated career after wearing the green and gold uniform at back-to-back Games (2018, 2022). Eleebana aerial skier Samantha Wells represented Australia at consecutive Winter Olympics (2014, 2018) before retiring.
Newcastle Snowboarder's Current Campaign
In related winter sports news, Newcastle snowboarder Michaela Davis-Meehan sits fourth just inside the cut line halfway through the all-important opening four rounds of the Freeride World Tour. Davis-Meehan (11,520 points), who finished second overall last season, now eyes events in Georgia (February 22-28) and Austria (March 5-10) after a year-best bronze in Spain on January 15.
Despite the disappointment of missing the 2026 Games by the narrowest of margins, Dark and his bobsled teammates remain focused on the future, with their sights firmly set on redemption at the 2030 Winter Olympics in France.
