Fifteen-year-old Australian skier Indra Brown has made a stunning start to her FIS Freestyle World Cup career, claiming a bronze medal in the halfpipe at the Secret Garden Resort in Zhangjiakou, China.
Competing in her first-ever World Cup event, Brown finished behind Britain’s reigning world champion Zoe Atkin and China’s two-time Olympic gold medallist Gu Ailing. Overwhelmed by the moment, the teenager even needed help on the podium to spray her champagne.
Brown described the result as unforgettable, saying it was a dream to share the podium with athletes she looks up to. Her performance has quickly marked her as a potential outsider for the Winter Olympic Games, which begin in Milan on February 6.
After being too young to compete in World Cup events last season, Brown showed remarkable composure in challenging, windy conditions. Her third-place finish is the best World Cup debut result ever by an Australian, surpassing Torah Bright’s fourth-place debut in 2003. It also makes Brown the youngest Australian winter athlete to win a World Cup medal.
She qualified fourth for the final and scored 82.00 on her opening run, trailing only Atkin and Gu. Brown said she stayed calm despite the difficult weather, focusing on executing her run cleanly.
Atkin led after the first final run, but Gu reclaimed top spot with a strong second run. While both Atkin and Gu are seasoned World Cup contenders, Brown’s breakthrough performance signals the arrival of a major new talent.
Brown’s passion for skiing began during her childhood years in Canada, where long winters led her to join a local ski club. It was there she discovered her love for terrain parks and halfpipe skiing, a path that has now taken her to the World Cup podium.
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