Winter Olympics: Teen stars Valentino Guseli, Josie Baff in race to make Aussie team

One comes from a NSW south coast town. The other from a ski area. But Narooma’s Valentino Guseli and fellow teenager Josie Baff have an identical sporting dream.

A pair of NSW teenagers are chasing Winter Olympic selection.

They are young, very talented and dream of ripping it up on the slopes at next year’s Winter Olympics.

And a year out from the Beijing Games, these two teenagers are right on course to be on the plane to China for the 2022 Winter Olympics from February 4.

Valentino Guseli, just 15 and hailing from Narooma, made headlines earlier this month when he blitzed the field in qualifying for the Laax Open Halfpipe World Cup in Switzerland.

Josie Baff (red bib) on her way to winning a gold medal at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne last year. Pic: OIS/Ben Queenborough.

Young snowboarder Valentino Guseli in action in Switzerland. Pic Supplied

The surf-loving teenager is a snowboarding phenomenon and at just 11 was the youngest person to perform a double-backflip.

Josie Baff created a stir when she made history as Australia’s first ever Winter Youth Olympic Games champion, winning gold in the Snowboard Cross at Lausanne last year.

The then 16-year-old from Jindabyne, who started snowboarding when just five, secured Australia’s seventh Winter Youth Olympic medal - and first gold ever - with her performance.

The pair are bidding to race at their first Winter Olympics while a host of other Australian athletes are hoping to make a return to the games stages, including Scotty James and Britt Cox.

The high-flying snowboarder Valentino Guseli in action in Switzerland. Pic Supplied

The 15-year-old turned plenty of heads. Pic Supplied

Australia is expecting to send a team of around 50 athletes to Beijing the women’s monobob (one-person bobsleigh) will make its Olympic debut along with a new mixed event in Snowboard Cross.

And in another first, Australia hopes to send its first ever curlers in mixed doubles pair Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt

Australia has won 15 medals at the previous Winter Olympics - five gold, five silver and five bronze

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Originally published as Winter Olympics: Teen stars Valentino Guseli, Josie Baff in race to make Aussie team