Australian Winter Olympic team: the Sydney athletes to cheer for in Beijing

They come from across the city and include university students, Taylor Swift and NRL fans, teenagers and saxophone enthusiasts. Meet the Sydney athletes to cheer for at the Winter Olympics.

The Sydney Winter Olympians to cheer for in Beijing.

They come from Cammeray, Greenwich, Carlingford, Hunters Hill, Woronora, Eastwood, Camperdown and the northern beaches and include university students, Taylor Swift and NRL Dragons fans and teenagers.

These are the Sydney locals in China for the Winter Olympics.

Far from their Sydney homes, these athletes are doing the green and gold with pride as they compete for success and their country.

Meet the Sydney athletes you will want to cheer for at the Winter Olympics

OLYMPIANS FROM SYDNEY’S NORTHERN BEACHES

Emily Arthur competing in the snowboard halfpipe final in PyeongChang in 2018.

EMILY ARTHUR, SNOWBOARD

She is competing at her second Olympics in women’s snowboard halfpipe and is from Woronora Heights.

Arthur is just 22 and made her debut at the last Olympics in Korea.

She showed a natural flair for snowboarding right from the start as a six-year-old who just wanted to emulate her father and brother who were also snowboarders.

As a junior Arthur claimed bronze at the 2014 junior world titles and made her world snowboard championship debut in 2015 where she finish 16th.

She also completed at the 2016 Youth Winter Olympics and carried the flag for Australia at the opening ceremony.

At these Games she won a silver in the women’s snowboard half pipe and finish 14th and slow start.

The young snowboarder goes into Beijing Olympic Games with her best world championship result to date under her belt – 18th in Aspen last year

Jarryd Hughes is an Olympic snowboarder from Greenwich.

JARRYD HUGHES: SNOWBOARDER

Is 26, competing at his third Olympics in snowboard cross and is from Greenwich.

He is one of Australia’s best known Winter Olympians and a silver medals from the last Games in Korea.

This will be Hughes’ third Winter Olympic Games - not bad for someone who wanted to be either a Wallaby or a swimmer as a kid.

His silver at the last Games was Australia’s first medal in snowboard cross.

The Taylor Swift fan, who is completing a commerce degree at Sydney University, is one of our top medal hopes.

He is also a NRL Dragons, Sydney Swans and Waratahs enthusiast.

James Matheson in action at a ski World Cup at Deer Valley Resort in January.

JAMES MATHESON, SKIING

Is 26 and competing in his second Olympics in freestyle skiing’s men’s Moguls.

While he now hails from Camperdown, Matheson was actually born in Buenos Aires.

Matheson started to show real talent for winter sport at the age of around 15 while competing on the Europa Cup tour.

He went on to make his World Cup debut back in 2013 and has been racing ever since.

Matheson, who is doing a Bachelor of Commerce at Sydney University, started skiing when just 10 at Perisher in New South Wales.

In the last games in Korea he was the second best placed Australian male skier. This was despite him making his debut.

In more recent times he has recorded two World Cup finals performances. He will be chasing a top 16 finals performance in Beijing.

Australian Winter Olympian Hugo Hinckfuss.

HUGO HINCKFUSS, CROSS COUNTRY SKIING

Hugo Hinckfuss is 18, making his Olympic debut in freestyle sprint, 15km Classic and Team Sprint and hails from Cammeray.

One of the youngest members of the Australian team and one of four teenagers representing Australia at the Games.

Hinckfuss has been skiing for years and started cross country when he was in primary school.

He has also benefited from competing at a Youth Winter Olympics in the past.

The teenager say he enjoys both the mental and physical side of the sport and that his hidden talent is playing the saxophone.

The young Olympian is also doing a double degree in engineering and advanced computing at the Australian National University and is a former student at The Scots College.

Australia's Brendan Kerry performs during the men's short program of the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in January.

BRENDAN KERRY, ICE SKATING

Brendan Kerry is 27, competing at his third Olympics in single skating and is from Carlingford.

Kerry was already a talented competitor in his early teens and won his first senior gold in the 2013 Skate Down Under.

Kerry has landed numerous perfect quad jumps which has set him apart from other Australian skaters.

In his second Olympic Games he finished the short program in 16th place and 20th overall in free skating.

The skater brings good form into the Beijing Olympics and in the recent event in Estonia Record of his best of a result with a six place finish in the four continents event.

He started the sport after watching a NSW state championship and “just felt a weird urge like I had to skate’’.

He’s a part time university student who has a strong family connection to skating with his mother Monica McDonald competing at the 1988 Winter Olympics and his younger sister Chantelle a figure skater who performed at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics.

Australian Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt during the playoff in the mixed team curling qualifying tournament for the Winter Olympics.

TAHLI GILL, CURLING

Gill is 22, making her debut in Curling Mixed Doubles and is from Eastwood.

Gill has been in the headlines this week as the athlete who returned the positive test on arrival in Beijing.

She has since tested negative and is back on course to compete in the doubles with her partner Dean Hewitt.

They are the first Australians to qualify for a Winter Olympics in curling.

Gilles’ mother introduced her to the sport when she was just 11.

Gill is studying to be a primary school teacher and is a fan of ice hockey, volleyball, beach cricket and indoor soccer.

The Australians are considered potential metal contenders with strong recent results.

One of their most recent results was a 13th at the 2021 world titles in Scotland.

James Matheson in the men's Mogul Qualification during the Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International Ski World Cup at Deer Valley Resort last month.

TAYLAH O’NEILL, FREESTYLE SKIING

O’Neill is 27, at her second Olympics and is competing in freestyle skiing women’s Moguls.

From Hunters Hill, O’Neill was in the crowd at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics and fell in love with her sport.

Three years later she was competing at the elite level and went to her first games in 2014.

This experienced competitor, with 31 World Cup starts to her name, missed out on the last Winter Olympics and Beijing is expected to be her swan song.

She is studying a Bachelor of Media at the University of NSW and even when she is not competing or training says skiing is one of her favourite things to do.

O’Neill during her career has had two ACL reconstructions and a broken back.

Originally published as Australian Winter Olympic team: the Sydney athletes to cheer for in Beijing