Josie's Story
Fast Facts
Sport: Snowboard
Event: Women's Snowboard Cross, Mixed Team Snowboard Cross
Olympic History: Beijing 2022
Highlights: Gold at 2018 Youth Olympics
Coach: Harald Benselin
Year Born: 2003
State Born: NSW
About Josie
Josie Baff started skiing when she was just two years-old and picked up her first snowboard at five. For years she juggled both disciplines, training in ski racing most of the time and pulling out her snowboard on days off.
She excelled at both sports, winning multiple interschool titles in both skiing and snowboard, but ultimately had to choose to focus on one. After receiving a NSW Institute of Sport scholarship in 2018 for snowboard cross, Josie decided to focus solely on snowboard and hasn’t looked back.
Just two years later the Jindabyne local qualified for the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland. At the event, Josie made history when she became Australia’s first Youth Olympic Winter Games champion, winning gold in the women’s snowboard cross event.
After winning four of her five heats in the round robin format, Josie went on to win her semi-final race before winning gold in the big final. In that same year Josie also secured her first Europa Cup podium, taking bronze in Puy St. Vincent, France.
Following her breakthrough season, Josie received a tier 1 scholarship on the Sport Australia Hall of Fame mentoring program. She was paired with one of Australia’s most successful swimmers, Susie O’Neill, to mentor her.
The 18-year-old made her World Cup debut in early 2021 at Bakuriani, Georgia. Lining up against some of her idols in the sport, Josie progressed through to the finals and ultimately finished her World Cup debut in an impressive 15th position.
At Beijing 2022 Josie leaned on her Youth Olympic experience to put down a strong seeding run, qualifying directly to the 1/8 finals.
The brutal nature of the sport meant she was eliminated in the 1/8 finals. Josie teamed up with Adam Lambert for the Olympic debut of mixed team snowboard cross and lost in the quarter-finals.
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