Australian mogul skier, Matt Graham, is raring to go for tonight’s second qualification run in the hope of making the finals.
The Australian ace, who won silver in the men’s moguls at PyeongChang in 2018, failed to finish the tricky Zhangjiakou course late Thursday night to put a dent in his third Olympic campaign.
The top 10 from the first round on Thursday move straight through to the first final while it’s sudden death for the remaining 20 skiers who contest a second round (tonight), with another 10 moving through.
27-year-old Graham isn’t giving up, and neither should he. He finished the 2020/2021 season with the Crystal Globe in his hand having secured 289 FIS points in front of French mogul skier Ben Cavet who had 271. However an injury early in the 2021/2022 season saw Graham fly home for surgery for a snapped collarbone and spending six weeks off the snow recuperating in Australia.
To win a medal Graham will have to ace four runs on Saturday, with just six skiers contesting the medal race. He believes he can deal with the physicality of that and still go all the way.
“We do a lot of work on our strength and conditioning to deal with that sort of demand,” Graham said.
“Obviously there’s going to be a lot more pressure on Saturday on that first run and making sure that I put it down. Ideally I would be in the top 10 because then obviously you ski later in the finals but that’s just the way it is and I’ve got to change my approach.
“It’s not the end of the world just yet – I like to think of myself as a fighter and I will keep fighting right until my last run.”
Graham didn’t want to blame his interrupted build-up or his shoulder, saying while it wasn’t 100 per cent it didn’t affect his run.
Former aerials Olympic champion Alisa Camplin, who battled numerous injuries throughout her own career, has been in Graham’s corner, telling him he didn’t need a perfect preparation to win.
“You’ve got to make the best of what’s in the fridge,” said Camplin, the deputy team chef de mission told AAP.
“It doesn’t have to be the perfect dinner and if you’re trying to create perfect you can really get consumed with what you don’t have.
“I said to Matt there’s no perfect way, there’s no one way and no medals are given out until the event is over.
“Even though your way isn’t the way you anticipated doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of it to have a really great shot.”
Graham said his predicament was nothing compared to teammate Taylah O’Neill, who slid down the side of the course after doing her ACL three weeks ago.
“She’s dealing with a lot more pain and suffering than me – it’s a shame to see her go out the way she has,” he said.
“These tough, firm conditions – you wouldn’t want a sore knee in this sort of stuff.”
The women’s finals are on Sunday with Australia’s Jakara Anthony the top qualifier.
