Baff claims gold by the barest of margins

It’s another golden day for Australia with women’s snowboarder Josie Baff winning the country’s second gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The 23-year-old who was ranked No. 2 in the world became the Olympic Champion in the women’s snowboard cross at the Livingo Snow Park in the early hours of Saturday morning (AEDT).

The 2020 Youth Olympic Champion started the day having finished 17th in her only qualifying run before the first official races got underway.

But despite not having the greatest run initially, she found her rhythm as she progressed throughout the event.

After winning her 1/8 final race, she only just made the semi-finals with a photo finish being needed to separate her and Switzerland’s Sina Siegenthaler for second spot in the quarter finals.

But she pulled through to win her semi-final in sensational style, which gave her confidence in the Big Final to just beat out the Czech Republic’s Eva Adamczykova to the gold medal by 0.04 seconds after taking the lead halfway through the race.

She had competed against Adamczykova throughout all four races, with the two-time World Champion being the only one to have beaten in the seeded runs.

Reflecting on her incredible victory, Baff believed deep down that she was capable, but was still in disbelief.

“I can’t really believe it,” she told Channel 9.

“I knew I could do it, and I knew deep down I had what it took.

"I haven’t won in a long time, so to be able to win here at this event and to have one of the world’s most sought after gold medals around my neck is absolutely incredible.”

She now becomes Australia’s eighth gold medallist in Winter Olympic history and the fourth female to do so.

She also joins Jarryd Hughes as the only Australians to have a medal in the snowboard cross event.