Ally Hickman showed her grit at 2026 Winter Olympics after heavy fall on second run

Ally Hickman sent a ripple of fear and concern through the Australian Winter Olympic camp on Wednesday afternoon.

While many of the Australian winter sport community were celebrating Danielle Scott’s sensational silver at one end of Livigno, the snowboard slopestyle rider was challenging for a medal at the other end of town.

Sitting fifth at the end of the first round, Hickman was looking good at the start of her second effort.

However, the 16-year-old came unstuck on one of the exceedingly high rail structures at the top of the course and landed heavily in the hard-packed snow.

For a worrying moment, Hickman lay in the snow before cameras cut away.

These Games, despite being the most successful the Australian team has ever had, has seen a high number of injuries to the team as well, with fears Hickman could have been added to a list that includes Daisy Thomas, Cam Bolton and Laura Peel.

However, Hickman showed all the grit Australian fans love to embrace by fronting up and getting back into action for her third and final run.

“I’d like to think I’m courageous, getting back up there after the crash,” Hickman said when it was put to her that she was brave to continue.

“I was definitely contemplating not doing my third run.

“But it’s the Olympics, you’ve got to do everything … [and] doing it felt really good.”

She didn’t just do a third run. Right up until the final jump she appeared set for a higher score than her first run.

However, she couldn’t stick the final landing and finished seventh overall.

But, in what was her first Winter Olympics, the second-youngest member of the Australian team could not have been happier with her efforts.

“I’m very proud of how I went, and I’m happy that I landed my first run,” Hickman said.

“I tried to go for it on my second run, it didn’t quite go to plan, but my third run… But just the last jump was a bit slow, unfortunately.

“I’m a bit bummed that I didn’t land my last run, but yeah, I’m feeling so stoked.”

Hickman deserves an awful lot of credit for getting back up and completing the run at all.

As has been proved at the Winter Olympics so far, these athletes are seemingly most comfortable when putting their body at risk, whatever the consequences of a mistake will lead to.

Hickman’s fall was desperately tough, requiring a trip to the clinic for x-rays which, thankfully, showed no major damage.

Although the 16-year-old noted that she was fine, with just a couple of bruises, she did acknowledge that she hit the ground “pretty hard”.

“I just fell off the rail a bit early,” she said.

“I was really winded when I fell and I was just trying to catch my breath.

“But I went off to the side and caught my breath back and went back up to the top.”

There, she was assessed by medical staff and spoke with her coach before deciding to have another go, despite there being an understandable degree of apprehension.

“I was a bit nervous coming to the second rail,” Hickman said.

“I could see my board mark in the rail beside it and I was like, ‘don’t look at it’.

“After I made it past the second rail, it felt like I was just in a flow state, which felt so good to be doing my run again.

“That last jump was just a bit unfortunate, but I laid everything out there and showed the world my snowboarding, which was the main thing.”

Having now got one Olympics appearance under her belt midway through her teens, the future appears incredibly bright for the 2023 junior world championship bronze medallist.

“It doesn’t feel like I’m really that much younger than everyone because I’m friends with all of them,” Hickman said.

“But it feels so amazing to be one of the youngest people here, and I feel like I’m getting all the experience in now.

“It has definitely inspired me.

“This Olympics was more of like a learning part and next Olympics I’m going to come back and hopefully go for gold.”