Australia at the 2006 Winter Olympics

Australia competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The team of 40 athletes was the largest ever for Australia, surpassing the team of 31 that participated at the 1960 Winter Olympics.

Australia at the
2006 Winter Olympics
IOC codeAUS
NOCAustralian Olympic Committee
Websitewww.olympics.com.au
in Turin
Competitors40 (23 men, 17 women) in 10 sports
Flag bearers Alisa Camplin (opening)
Dale Begg-Smith (closing)[1][2]
Medals
Ranked 17th
Gold
1
Silver
0
Bronze
1
Total
2
Winter Olympics appearances (overview)

Prior to the Olympics, Australia had set a goal of winning one medal.[3] They were able to win two medals – one gold and one bronze – and had several other top 10 finishes.

Alisa Camplin served as flag bearer at the opening ceremonies.

Medalists
Medal Name Sport Event Date
 GoldDale Begg-SmithFreestyle skiingMen's moguls15 February
 BronzeAlisa CamplinFreestyle skiingWomen's aerials22 February

Alpine skiing

Five Australian skiers competed in Turin, but only one, Craig Branch, finished a run. Branch was the first starter for the men's downhill, and his 32nd place was the highest finish for an Australian alpine skier since Calgary '88.[4][5]

Main article: Alpine skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Athlete Event Final
Run 1 Run 2 Run 3 Total Rank
A. J. Bear Men's super-G Did not finish
Craig Branch Men's downhill n/a 1:52.55 32
Jono Brauer Men's slalom Did not finish
Men's combined Did not finish
Bradley Wall Men's giant slalom Did not finish

Note: In the men's combined, runs 1 is the downhill, and runs 2 and 3 are the slalom. In the women's combined, run 1 and 2 are the slalom, and run 3 the downhill.

Biathlon
Main article: Biathlon at the 2006 Winter Olympics

Cameron Morton, a primary school principal, and the only Australian biathlete in Turin, was aiming for a top-fifty finish, but failed to make the top 80 in either of his two events. He was the fifth Australian to compete in an Olympic biathlon.[6][7]

Athlete Event Final
Time Misses Rank
Cameron Morton Men's sprint 32:07.4 4 81
Men's individual 1:07:03.7 7 82

Bobsleigh
Main article: Bobsleigh at the 2006 Winter Olympics

The men's pair of Rolleston and McKenzie equalled the best Australian finish in the event by placing 22nd, while Loch-Wilkinson and Reed were the first to represent the country in women's bobsleigh.[8][9] Australia also attempted to enter a four-man team in Turin, appealing to the IOC and the CAS after it was revealed a Brazilian athlete had tested positive for nandrolone in a pre-Olympic test. The athlete in question had competed in a qualifying race won by Brazil, with New Zealand second and Australia third, with the top two teams advancing. The disqualification of the Brazilian entry from that race could have allowed Australia to compete, but the IOC, FIBT and CAS rejected the appeal.[10]

Athlete Event Final
Run 1 Run 2 Run 3 Run 4 Total Rank
Jeremy Rolleston
Shane McKenzie		 Two-man 56.77 56.59 57.22 Did not advance 22
Astrid Loch-Wilkinson
Kylie Reed		 Two-woman 58.53 58.85 59.00 58.73 3:55.11 14

Cross-country skiing
Main article: Cross-country skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics

Australia sent 3 skiers to compete in the cross country events, its largest contingent at a Winter Olympics.[11]

Distance
Athlete Event Final
Total Rank
Clare-Louise Brumley Women's 15 km pursuit 47:03.1 42
Sprint
Athlete Event Qualifying Quarterfinal Semifinal Final
Total Rank Total Rank Total Rank Total Rank
Esther Bottomley Women's sprint 2:23.55 52 did not advance
Paul Murray Men's sprint 2:25.29 51 did not advance

Figure skating
Main article: Figure skating at the 2006 Winter Olympics

Joanne Carter, who had placed 12th at the 1998 Olympics, finished 25th in the women's short program, failing to advance to the free skate.[12]

Athlete Event CD SP/OD FS/FD Total
Points Rank Points Rank Points Rank Points Rank
Joanne Carter Ladies' 40.86 25 did not advance

Key: CD = Compulsory Dance, FD = Free Dance, FS = Free Skate, OD = Original Dance, SP = Short Program

Freestyle skiing
Main article: Freestyle skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics

Canadian-born Dale Begg-Smith entered the Games as the top ranked man in moguls, and won Australia's only gold medal in Turin.[13] 2002 Winter Olympics gold medallist Alisa Camplin also won a medal, bronze in the women's aerials. This made her the first Australian athlete to win back-to-back medals in a winter sport. Camplin won a medal despite having major surgery on her knee four months before the Turin games.[14][15] Jacqui Cooper set a world record in qualifying for the women's aerials, but ended up 8th in the final.[16]

Men
Athlete Event Qualifying Final
Points Rank Points Rank
Dale Begg-Smith Moguls 25.40 1 Q 26.77
Jason Begg-Smith Moguls 20.22 29 Did not advance
Nick Fisher Moguls 22.89 16 Q 23.39 12
Michael Robertson Moguls 21.52 24 Did not advance
Women
Athlete Event Qualifying Final
Points Rank Points Rank
Manuela Berchtold Moguls 22.19 16 Q 22.21 14
Alisa Camplin Aerials 165.32 10 Q 191.39
Jacqui Cooper Aerials 213.36 1 Q 152.69 8
Elizabeth Gardner Aerials 127.42 23 Did not advance
Lydia Ierodiaconou Aerials 155.45 14 Did not advance

Luge
Main article: Luge at the 2006 Winter Olympics

Hannah Campbell-Pegg was the lone lugist representing Australia in Turin. She finished 23rd overall.[17]

Athlete Event Final
Run 1 Run 2 Run 3 Run 4 Total Rank
Hannah Campbell-Pegg Women's singles 49.577 49.350 49.574 49.038 3:17.539 23

Short track speed skating
Main article: Short track speed skating at the 2006 Winter Olympics

Four years after Stephen Bradbury won a gold medal in short track, Australia's first, no Australian skater managed to advance to an A final. The best performance came from the men's relay, which won the B final to finish sixth.[18]

Athlete Event Heat Quarterfinal Semifinal Final
Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank
Alex McEwan Men's 500 m 45.173 4 Did not advance 22
Mark McNee Men's 1000 m 1:30.033 4 Did not advance 20
Men's 1500 m 2:29.356 4 Did not advance 20
Emily Rosemond Women's 1000 m 2:40.171 5 Did not advance 25
Women's 1500 m 1:39.942 2 Q 1:37.627 3 Did not advance 12
Lachlan Hay
Stephen Lee
Mark McNee
Elliot Shriane		 Men's 5000 m relay n/a 7:03.356 4 Final B
7:01.666		 6

Skeleton
Main article: Skeleton at the 2006 Winter Olympics

Michelle Steele, who was recruited to participate in the skeleton just 14 months before the Games, finished 13th in the women's event.[19] Steele was part of a program created by the Australian Institute of Sport to develop Australian winter athletes by converting athletes from summer sports.[20]

Athlete Event Final
Run 1 Run 2 Total Rank
Shaun Boyle Men's 1:00.13 1:00.00 2:00.13 22
Michelle Steele Women's 1:01.26 1:02.21 2:03.47 13

Snowboarding
Main article: Snowboarding at the 2006 Winter Olympics

Nine snowboarders represented Australia across each of the three disciplines, but only one, Torah Bright qualified for a medal final. Bright was touted as a medal threat, and though she failed to qualify in the first round, she finished 1st in the second to make the final. She struggled in her first run of the final, ending up 10th, but improved to 5th after the second run.[21]

Halfpipe
Athlete Event Qualifying Run 1 Qualifying Run 2 Final
Points Rank Points Rank Run 1 Run 2 Rank
Mitchell Allan Men's halfpipe 28.8 8 23.7 25 Did not advance 31
Torah Bright Women's halfpipe 32.0 10 43.1 1 Q (17.0) 41.0 5
Andrew Burton Men's halfpipe 15.2 34 21.8 26 Did not advance 32
Holly Crawford Women's halfpipe 19.0 22 29.9 18 Did not advance 18
Ben Mates Men's halfpipe 4.9 43 5.0 36 Did not advance 42

Note: In the final, the single best score from two runs is used to determine the ranking. A bracketed score indicates the run in the final that wasn't counted.

Parallel GS
Athlete Event Qualification Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
Time Rank Opposition
Time		 Opposition
Time		 Opposition
Time		 Opposition
Time
Emanuel Oppliger Men's parallel giant slalom 1:12.11 15 Q  Schoch (SUI) (2)
L +1.37 (+0.89 +0:48)		 Did not advance
Johanna Shaw Women's parallel giant slalom 1:38.86 29 Did not advance

Key: '+ Time' represents a deficit; the brackets indicate the results of each run.

Snowboard cross
Athlete Event Qualifying 1/8 finals Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
Time Rank Position Position Position Position Rank
Damon Hayler Men's snowboard cross 1:21.51 12 Q 1 Q 2 Q 3 Q 3
Small final		 7
Emily Thomas Women's snowboard cross 1:34.57 21 Did not advance

See also

References
  1. "Flagbearers for the Opening Ceremony". Retrieved 22 February 2009.
  2. "Flagbearers for the Closing Ceremony". Retrieved 22 February 2009.
  3. Herald Sun: Aussies set target of one medal 2 February 2006.
  4. Greg Baum (14 February 2006). "First out – then all downhill". The Age. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  5. "Torino 2006 Official Report – Alpine Skiing" (PDF). Torino Organizing Committee. LA84 Foundation. March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  6. Greg Baum (13 February 2006). "Biathlete short of the mark". The Age. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  7. "Torino 2006 Official Report – Biathlon" (PDF). Torino Organizing Committee. LA84 Foundation. March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  8. "Bobsleighs' Rolleston keen for results". The Age. 18 February 2006. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  9. "Torino 2006 Official Report – Bobsleigh" (PDF). Torino Organizing Committee. LA84 Foundation. March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  10. "Australians bobsleigh court bid fails". Sydney Morning Herald. 20 February 2006. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  11. "Torino 2006 Official Report – Cross Country Skiing" (PDF). Torino Organizing Committee. LA84 Foundation. March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  12. "Torino 2006 Official Report – Figure Skating" (PDF). Torino Organizing Committee. LA84 Foundation. March 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  13. "Dale begs the question: can Australia win a mogul medal in Turin?". Sydney Morning Herald. 24 January 2006. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  14. "Camplin wants one more year in aerials". The Age. 23 February 2006. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  15. "Torino 2006 Official Report – Freestyle Skiing" (PDF). Torino Organizing Committee. LA84 Foundation. March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  16. "Lydia's knee pain, Cooper qualifies". The Age. 22 February 2006. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  17. "Torino 2006 Official Report – Luge" (PDF). Torino Organizing Committee. LA84 Foundation. March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  18. "Torino 2006 Official Report – Short Track Speed Skating" (PDF). Torino Organizing Committee. LA84 Foundation. March 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  19. "Torino 2006 Official Report – Skeleton" (PDF). Torino Organizing Committee. LA84 Foundation. March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  20. Greg Baum (18 February 2006). "From sun and surf to the skeleton". The Age. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  21. "Torino 2006 Official Report – Snowboarding" (PDF). Torino Organizing Committee. LA84 Foundation. March 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
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