LIVIGNO, Italy, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Josie Baff captured gold in the women's snowboard cross at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Friday, while China marked a milestone by competing through the full international qualification pathway for the first time.
Baff, 23, delivered a composed performance throughout the knockout rounds. Seeded 17th after the morning time trial, she edged through the quarterfinal in a photo finish before surging from third to first in her semifinal.
In the big final, the Australian overtook Switzerland's Noemie Wiedmer and held off a late charge from Czech rider Eva Adamczykova to claim victory. Adamczykova took silver, her third Olympic medal in the event following gold at Sochi 2014 and bronze at PyeongChang 2018, while Italy's Michela Moioli secured bronze.
"Once I made it to the big final, I knew I could do it," Baff said. "No matter what position I was in out of the start, I believed I could make a pass."
China's Yongqinglamu and Pang Chuyuan, both making their Olympic debuts, were eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage after finishing fourth in their respective heats.
Despite their early exits, the appearance itself carried significance. At Beijing 2022, China entered the event through host nation quota places. This time, the two Chinese riders secured their Olympic berths by ranking inside the top 30 of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) qualification standings, marking the country's first qualification for the event purely on merit under the international points system.
"It's my first real Olympic race. I just wanted to finish safely and have no regrets," said Yongqinglamu, who had qualified for Beijing 2022 but suffered an injury during a pre-Games training session and was unable to compete.
"Crossing the finish line, I felt relieved. I did what I could," the 22-year-old added.
Snowboard cross, which made its Olympic debut at Turin 2006, begins with a seeding run in which all 32 riders race individually against the clock before being placed into four-rider knockout heats, with the top two in each heat advancing through successive elimination rounds until the medals are decided in the final.
