Wāhine of the Winter Olympics

2026-02-04 - 15:48

Eight years ago, New Zealand had claimed only one medal from a Winter Olympics – slalom skier Annelise Coberger’s silver from the 1992 Albertville Games. Then Zoi Sadowski-Synnott burst onto the scene and changed the perspective of what Kiwis – on and above the snow – could do. Across the last two Winter Olympics, New Zealand have won five medals, with Sadowksi-Synnott responsible for three of those. Now she’s back from her third Winter Olympics and a favourite to add more to New Zealand’s medal collection. Six women are among the 17 New Zealand athletes at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games, that run between February 6 and 22. These are the most gender-balanced Winter Olympics, with 47 percent female participation. Here’s what you need to know about the six wāhine hitting the Italian slopes from this weekend. Alice Robinson – Alpine Skiing Giant Slalom and Super G Alice Robinson is heading to her third Winter Olympics, after finishing 2025 on a high. The 24-year-old won New Zealand’s first ever gold medal in the Super G World Cup last year, having five podium finishes across the giant slalom and Super G events, including three gold medals. A crash in January stalled Robinson’s momentum, but her recent form should give her confidence to win her first Olympic medal. She will compete in the giant slalom and Super G disciplines in Cortina against some tough competition. Keep an eye out for USA’s Mikaela Shiffrin – she has the most World Cup wins of any alpine skier ever and is in good form. Alice Robinson on her way to winning her first Super G World Cup title. Photo: Ruedi Flück/FIS Alpine Zoi Sadowski-Synnott – Snowboard Slopestyle and Big Air New Zealand’s most successful Winter Olympian will look to add to her medal collection in 2026. Zoi Sadowski-Synnott has an Olympic medal of each colour – a bronze in the big air in 2018, a silver in big air in 2022, and a gold in slopestyle that same year. She won her third slopestyle world championship in 2025 before taking a break in December with a knee injury, but she started this year with two silvers at the X Games. The 24-year-old will be competing in the slopestyle and big air at Livigno, the remote ski town nicknamed “Little Tibet”. One of her biggest rivals will be 34-year-old Anna Gasser – the Austrian will be searching for her third consecutive big air gold and is likely to retire after these Games. Lucia Georgalli – Snowboard Slopestyle and Big Air There will be two Kiwis in the women’s snowboard slopestyle and big air competitions this year, with young Lucia Georgalli competing alongside Sadowski-Synnott. Georgalli just turned 19 and will be making her senior Winter Olympics debut in Italy, but she’s already made a name for herself on the world stage. In 2023, she was crowned the snowboard slopestyle junior world champion (the first Kiwi to do so), and was a double medallist at the 2024 Olympic Winter Youth Games, earning silver in slopestyle and bronze in big air. Last year she won big air gold at the Australian NZ Cup. Lucia Georgalli competing on the World Rookie Tour. Photo: World Rookie Tour Sylvia Trotter – Freeski Slopestyle and Big Air Milano Cortina will be Sylvia Trotter’s first Olympic experience, the 18-year-old competing in her first senior event in 2024, when she contested a freeski World Cup event in Cardrona. Trotter will be competing in both the slopestyle and big air disciplines, finishing in the top 10 for both events in the World Cup in November. Her family have set up a give-a-little page to financially support her Olympic experience this year. Ruby Star Andrews – Freeski Slopestyle and Big Air Ruby Star Andrews will be competing in her first Winter Olympics, after participating in the Winter Youth Games in 2020, where she battled through a heel injury to finish fifth in the halfpipe. Last November, freeskier from Cardrona dislocated her hip – an injury she says is the ‘most intense pain’ she’s ever felt and has been working through rehab since. Hopefully Andrews, 21, will be at full fitness for the Games and be able to compete alongside Trotter in both slopestyle and big air in Livigno. Ruby Star Andrews in action at the 2023 world champs. Photo: Snow Sports NZ Mischa Thomas – Freeski Halfpipe Seventeen-year-old Mischa Thomas also competed in the 2024 Winter Youth Games, where the Auckland-born skier finished 10th in the halfpipe. Last year she finished ninth at the world champs, and she’s had a strong start to 2026, sitting fifth overall in the freestyle ski World Cup halfpipe standings. Thomas has trained in Wānaka, Colorado and Switzerland, and despite her youth, has experienced strong results around the globe. When to watch our Kiwi athletes: (Times are in NZT, and are subject to change; coverage live on Sky Sport and free-to-air on Sky Open) Friday Feb 6, 7.30am – Men’s snowboard big air qualification, Rocco Jamieson & Lyon Farrell & Dane Menzies Saturday Feb 7, 10.30pm – Women’s freestyle skiing slopestyle qualification, Ruby Star Andrews & Sylvia Trotter Sunday Feb 8, 2am – Men’s freestyle skiing slopestyle qualification, Luca Harrington & Ben Barclay & Lucas Ball; 7.30am – big air finals, Rocco Jamieson & Lyon Farrell & Dane Menzies* Monday Feb 9, 7.30am – Women’s snowboard big air qualification, Lucia Georgalli & Zoi Sadowski-Synnott Tuesday Feb 10, 12.30am – Women’s slopestyle skiing finals, Ruby Star Andrews & Sylvia Trotter* 7.30am – Women’s snowboard big air final, Lucia Georgalli & Zoi Sadowski-Synnott* Wednesday Feb 11, 12.30am – Men’s freestyle skiing slopestyle final, Luca Harrington & Ben Barclay & Lucas Ball* Thursday Feb 12, 7.30am – Men’s Snowboard halfpipe qualification, Cam Melville Ives 11.30pm – Women’s alpine skiing super giant slalom final, Alice Robinson Saturday Feb 14, 7.30am – Men’s snowboard halfpipe final*, Cam Melville Ives Sunday Feb 15, 7.30am – Women’s freestyle skiing big air qualification, Ruby Star Andrews & Sylvia Trotter; 10pm – Women’s giant slalom, Alice Robinson Monday Feb 16, 7.30am – Men’s freestyle skiing big air qualification, Luca Harrington & Ben Barclay & Lucas Ball; 10.30pm – Women’s snowboard slopestyle qualification, Lucia Georgalli & Zoi Sadowski-Synnott Tuesday Feb 17, 2am – Men’s snowboard slopestyle qualification, Rocco Jamieson & Lyon Farrell & Dane Menzies; 7.30am – Women’s freestyle skiing big air finals, Ruby Star Andrews & Sylvia Trotter* Wednesday Feb 18, 1am – Women’s snowboard slopestyle finals, Lucia Georgalli & Zoi Sadowski-Synnott*; 7.30am – Men’s freestyle skiing big air finals, Luca Harrington & Ben Barclay & Lucas Ball* Thursday Feb 19, 12.30am – Men’s snowboard slopestyle finals, Rocco Jamieson & Lyon Farrell & Dane Menzies*; 10.30pm – Men’s freestyle skiing halfpipe qualification, Luke Harrold & Fin Melville Ives & Gustav Legnavsky & Ben Harrington Friday Feb 20, 7.30am – Women’s Freestyle skiing halfpipe qualification, Mischa Thomas Saturday Feb 21, 7.30am – Men’s freestyle skiing halfpipe finals, Luke Harrold & Fin Melville Ives & Gustav Legnavsky & Ben Harrington* Sunday Feb 22, 7.30am – Women’s freestyle skiing halfpipe finals, Mischa Thomas* * If qualify for finals