19-year-old Abi Harrigan has been rewarded for her great season with a place on the Australian Olympic Team, making her Olympic debut in the Freeski Halfpipe, Slopestyle and Big Air events.
No stranger to competing in three events at the one competition, Harrigan represented Australia in all three at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2020.
Her best event was the Slopestyle where she qualified for the final in fifth but was unable to get a clean run she had to settle for 12th with a best-run score of 21.50.
In the Halfpipe, she narrowly missed the final finishing qualifying with a score of 52.66 in 10th, three points outside of qualifying. Meanwhile, in the highly competitive Big Air event she failed to make the top 12 to reach the final, finishing in 15th with a score of 52.33.
Raised in Jindabyne, Harrigan was a stone's throw away from Thredbo and Perisher, it was as though she was destined for the Olympics.
The 19-year-old has been chomping at the bit to compete on the world's biggest stage and she'll get to do so in a debut event in the Big Air.
“I’m absolutely frothing to be selected for the Beijing 2022 team, just super excited,” Harrigan said.
“It’s the first time Big Air is in the Olympics and I get to compete, it’s amazing. I’m so excited to be on the biggest stage.
“I’m in Livigno at the moment which is the 2026 Olympic venue, and will head to Laax in Switzerland to get my final training done.”
Harrigan will be at two venues at the Olympics, competing at the Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou in the Halfpipe and Slopestyle events, while the Big Air will take place at the Big Air Shougang in Beijing, which is the world's first permanent Big Air venue and is the only snow sports venue in Beijing.
The 19-year-old has had a big season, and pulled out her best performance last weekend at the Font Romeu World Cup event in France, finishing 13th in the Slopestyle, meanwhile her best result in the halfpipe was just the week before finishing in 24th at the World Cup event in Mammoth Mountain, USA.
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Chef de Mission for the Australian Olympic Team for Beijing, Geoff Lipshut, congratulated Harrigan on her growth as an athlete since the Youth Olympics.
“Abi has been skiing since she can walk, and to make an Olympic Team just two years after competing at the Youth Olympics is great testament to her skill and growth as an athlete," Mr Lipshut said.
Snow Australia CEO, Michael Kennedy, commended the 19-year-old on her hard work to earn a spot in three events.
“It is great to see Youth Winter Olympian Abi Harrigan’s hard work and persistence pay off to secure a start across three events. It has been a steady rise for Abi having competed at the Youth Olympics two years ago and now she’s earned a spot on the main stage.”
You'll be able to catch Harrigan first in the Freeski Big Air event which runs from February 7-8, next is the Slopestyle which starts on February 13 and finishes on the 14th and Halfpipe will cap off Harrigan's Olympics running from February 17-18.