With just one month to go, Australia’s top winter athletes are making their final preparations for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, kicking off 6 February.
Among the mogul athletes competing at the Games are Olympic medallist Matt Graham and defending Olympic gold medallist Jakara Anthony, who both train at the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre.
The pair are heading to Milano Cortina in fine form, having just last month claimed double World Cup mogul gold medals in Finland.
The facility at Sleeman Sports Centre, designed to simulate a snow ski ramp, enables athletes to train for Olympic skiing events throughout the year, with ramps from 8m to 36m in height, catering to various aerial ski disciplines including mogul, triple, double, and single jumps.
Recent upgrades to the facility have allowed athletes to train more efficiently, estimated to save athletes around 100km a year of walking in snow boots between jumps.
Jakara Anthony was the first athlete to use the new staircase, stating:
"The new stairs are a game changer for our training, taking less time to do the same work, and even allowing for more work to be done, is beneficial for myself and everyone using the facility in so many ways,” Ms Anthony said.
“Thanks to OWIA and Stadiums Queensland for the effort and investment in giving us this training opportunity to help us reach the next level."
Sleeman Sports Complex General Manager Alex Hutchison said the facility further establishes Sleeman Sports Complex as a hub for high performance training.
“Our partnership with OWIA continues to deliver great results against the world’s best aerial and mogul skiiers, and we’re really looking forward to seeing the team compete at the 2026 winter games and beyond,” Mr Hutchison said.
“Our facility not only delivers for the OWIA but puts Sleeman Sports Complex on the map globally as a hub for high performance athletes.”
We wish all our athletes well at the Winter Olympics as they show off the results of their hard work.