Sixteen-year-old Indra Brown has lit up Livigno Snow Park on debut, storming into the Women’s Freeski Halfpipe Final with two clean, confident runs that earned her fourth place in qualifying. 

Brown opened her Olympic debut with a strong, tidy run scoring 80.75, placing her fifth after run one. The Melbournian then upped the ante in run two, adding a switch cork 720 to elevate her score to 87.50. 

“To be able to put two runs down in my first Olympics is a relief and I’m just enjoying it so much,” Brown said. 

After landing her first run, Brown was poised for a big second run in the best-of-two format.  

“The pressure was off. I knew I got a score down so I can really increase my amp [amplitude], add a new trick and just see how much I can push it.” 

Having only celebrated her sixteenth birthday in January this year, Brown joked that her Olympic debut was “easier” than the maths homework she completed earlier that morning. 

“I actually did some maths earlier today, so I’m trying to keep up with it… I was doing linear equations.” 

Asked what was easier – the halfpipe or the equations – Brown laughed: “Definitely halfpipe.” 

The top three qualifiers mirrored the podium from the 2025 World Championships: Zoe Atkin (GBR), Fanghui Li (CHN) and Cassie Sharp (CAN). Sharp, however, suffered a heavy crash in her second run and was carried from the pipe on a stretcher, waving to the crowd as she departed. 

Brown’s second run score also edged out defending Olympic Champion – and friend – Eileen Gu, who qualified in fifth with 86.50 from run two, after a fall in her first run. 

Heading into her first Olympic final, Brown said she just wants to “go out there and try and enjoy myself.” 

“You know, not put any pressure or any thoughts of a certain result. I want to just go out there, ski my first Olympic finals at my first Olympics and enjoy it, because, you know, it’s something that doesn’t come very often.” 

While she wouldn’t reveal if she was holding any new tricks up her sleeve for the final, Brown said she’s excited to put on a show for her family in Livigno – including her parents, three siblings and grandma – and her friends and schoolmates cheering her on from back home. 

“I’m so grateful for [my family] and really excited that they were able to see me ski today. My friends have been messaging me all week, they’re just super supportive and pumped for me, so it just makes it even better when I go back home and they’re all excited to see me.” 

The Women’s Freeski Halfpipe Final will be the final event at Livigno Snow Park, to be held under lights on Saturday 21 February, from 7.30pm CET time (5.30am AEDT Sunday 22 February). 

Australian Olympic Committee

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