Danielle Scott has secured Australia’s sixth medal at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, winning silver in the women’s aerials final on Wednesday, February 18th. The victory, held at the Livigno Aerials and Moguls Park, marks Australia’s first aerials medal since 2014, ending a 12-year drought in the event.
Scott’s final jump, a back Full-Full-Full, earned a score of 102.17, narrowly surpassing Chinese competitors Shao Qi (101.90) and Kong Fanyu (101.31). China’s Xu Mengtao claimed the gold medal with a score of 112.90, whereas Kong Fanyu took bronze. The result comes 24 years to the day after Alisa Camplin-Warner won aerials gold at the Salt Lake City Olympics, becoming Australia’s first female Winter Olympic champion.
The silver medal represents a personal triumph for Scott, who faced a difficult decision leading up to the Games. She requested that family and friends cancel their travel plans to Italy, citing intense pressure and a desire to focus solely on her performance. Only her husband, Clark Denning, was permitted to attend the event. “These last few years have had a lot of highs and lows, and with the season not going necessarily the best it could’ve, I was in a really difficult place,” Scott explained to Australian media. “I just was feeling the pressure and I just needed to focus on myself.”
Scott’s achievement is particularly notable given the absence of two-time world champion Laura Peel, who was unable to compete due to an ACL rupture sustained during pre-Games training. Scott successfully transferred her strong World Cup and world championship form to the Olympic stage, qualifying in second place after a clean performance in the qualifying rounds.
The Australian team’s success at the Milano Cortina Games has been widely celebrated, with Scott’s medal contributing to a total of six medals – three gold, two silver, and one bronze – marking Australia’s most successful Winter Olympics to date. Following the Games, Scott was honored with the role of flag bearer at the closing ceremony. “To have the most successful team ever for Australia at the Winter Olympics is huge. To be able to contribute to that too, my dreams are coming true and these Games are even more special now being named the flag bearer,” Scott said.
Alisa Camplin-Warner, chef de mission for the Australian team, highlighted the importance of investment in facilities such as the water ramp in Brisbane and the training centre in Jindabyne, attributing the team’s success to these resources. She emphasized the need for continued investment and strategic planning for future Olympic campaigns. “I perceive the planning almost starts straight away, and that is [by] stopping and listening,” Camplin said. “We need to hear what went well in these last four years and in this Olympic campaign…we’re at a point I think, as a winter sports industry, that we need to set some pretty lofty 10-year goals, and then we need to perform back and put the componentry in place that will get us there.”
Scott expressed optimism for the future of Australian winter sports, stating, “We’ve had a lot of support from a lot of internationals, congratulating us as a whole, as a nation, which has been unbelievable. I think there’s more to come in another four years.” Australia now turns its attention to the 2030 Winter Olympics, scheduled to be held in the French Alps.
