Smiling All The Way to Olympic Gold

On the day NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder’s Jakara Anthony and Tess Coady made Australian Olympic winter history winning gold and bronze respectively at the Beijing 2022 Games, one man was quietly celebrating the growth, development and success of winter sports down under.  

Having worked at NSWIS for over two decades, the happy and humble Peter “Toppa” Topalovic has been to five Olympic Winter Games, overseen a medal haul of two gold and two silver Olympic medals and has a mogul ski run at Perisher named in his honour.  

“I just love winter sports, I’m really passionate about them,” Toppa said.  

“I grew up in Merimbula playing lots of different sports but when I first saw snow, I got addicted to it. I started skiing late and quickly fell in love with the mountains, with the lifestyle, the culture and the sport.” 

“I was a mogul skier in Perisher and coaching was in the family DNA. I gave it a go and really loved it – I thought ‘wow’ I can really help people to make a difference.” 

He started the moguls club and winter sports program in Perisher as well as a business and training program based out of Canada, coaching future Australian Olympians.  

The chef turned coach is passionate about what he does and has three core coaching principles – keep it fun, keep it safe and encourage your athletes.   

“I tell my athletes that if you’re smiling you will ski better. I keep it safe, there’s a high risk factor and I encourage them – encouragement is the greatest form of motivation.”  

In 2002, Toppa was employed as the inaugural NSWIS moguls coach and along with two other coaches and a program manager, they laid the foundations for the winter sports program in Australia.  

“It’s a small world. Andrew Logan, now the NSWIS Director of Coaching, Regional and Talent, started the winter sports program back then out of Jindabyne. He was half employed by NSWIS and half by the Office of Sport.” 

In the 20 years since the program has grown from 15 to 55 scholarship holders.  

“It’s a big program now, compared to what it was. The support and investment that NSWIS has seen is fantastic.” 

The Institute has facilitated the opportunity for the self-taught coach to learn not only through courses but from other experts at NSWIS in strength and conditioning, performance health and movement science.  

“I enjoy listening and learning from the summer sports coaches. I have even taken some of the winter athletes to train at the national diving centre with Chava Sobrino.” 

Chava, as he is known to all, has been the NSWIS National Diving Head Coach for over a decade and coached Matthew Mitcham to an Olympic gold medal in 2008. The two have a special bond and often seek each other’s guidance.  

“Toppa is a great communicator with a big heart. He is a genuinely happy person and cares about his athletes. I have worked with Toppa on several occasions and every time I have a difficult situation, I reach out to him,” Chava said.  

At a similar time to the Vancouver Games, when Toppa was thinking about his coaching succession plan, a management opportunity presented itself following movement in the winter sports role.  

“I was told – you need to be the program manager. You know everyone down here, you know the resorts, the people in the resorts, you know the culture, the system, you are the best person for the job.” 

He considers himself lucky and is pleased with the evolution of the program, in particular with the appointment of Peter McNiel and Kate Blamey as coaches.  

“When you have invested so much time, you want to see it grow. I could not have identified two better coaches than Pete and Kate. I used to coach Kate in moguls so to see her progress to coach and then world’s best coach is fantastic.” 

No longer galivanting the globe or working huge hours while enjoying the incredible scenery the mountains have to offer, these days Toppa spends his time building relationships with key stakeholders to ensure the ongoing success of the NSWIS Winter Sports program.  

“Building relationships is critical. In my role I work with five CEOs – you need to build strong relationships and understand the complexity of the industry.” 

Having lived and worked in the Snowy Mountains for over 30 years, Toppa has acquired extensive experience, knowledge and contacts in the winter sports industry. 

“I suppose one of my management strengths is that I am a very relatable person,” he humbly said.  

“And I love the mountains and I know the resorts – they are complex and multimillion dollar organisations. If you know the ins and outs, it really is advantageous.” 

As the nation celebrates the one-year anniversary of the Olympic medals of Jakara Anthony and Tess Coady, NSWIS celebrates the team behind those athletes.   

“That is why winter sports are where they are because Toppa is fantastic,” Chava said.  

“But it’s not in the results or not what he has done for the sport, but more the human side. He’s a great person with heart.” 

NSWIS