Gen 32 coaches helping power Australia’s Winter Olympic success

Australia’s exceptional performance at Milano Cortina led to the nation’s best-ever medal haul at the Winter Olympics. But for every athlete who made headlines around the country, there was a coach who helped shape their journey to the podium.

And while much has been made of the pathway system that refined those athletes, many of Australia’s coaches at the event were developed through Gen 32, the Australian Institute of Sport’s National Generation 2032 Coach Program.

Incredibly, five of Australia’s six medals were achieved by programs that had a Gen 32 graduate coach working inside the team.

Leading up to Milano Cortina, Gen 32 coaches were trained up and mentored by head coaches, then placed in key roles to assist with athlete preparation, training design and competition support.

Former international mogul skier Ethan Topalovic was part of the coaching team which supported Australia’s mogul athletes to outstanding success at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, where Jakara Anthony (women’s moguls) and Cooper Woods (men’s moguls) both won gold and Matt Graham claimed bronze (men’s dual moguls).

"Having seen the work and commitment that goes into getting to that level, watching them perform on the Olympic stage was pretty special. I'm particularly proud of how they handled the pressure and delivered when it mattered," he said.

"A big focus was keeping things simple and trusting the preparation. We focused on controlling what we could control, being adaptable and making the Olympic environment feel as familiar as possible. The goal was to allow the athletes to perform the way they knew they could."

Topalovic said the Gen 32 program was crucial to giving him the tools to make the transition from athlete to coach.

"Gen 32 gave me the opportunity to step back from day-to-day coaching and think more deeply about what it means to be a high-performance coach," he said.

"Learning alongside coaches from different sports was incredibly valuable and gave me different perspectives that I could apply to my own environment. The biggest takeaway was the importance of continually learning and developing as a coach."

Another Gen 32 graduate, Renee McElduff, played a key role in Australia’s aerial skiing success in Milano Cortina 2026, where Danielle Scott performed magnificently to claim a silver medal in the women's aerials final.

"I have known Danielle for almost 20 years. I saw her learning to ski and jumping on snow for the first time. To come full circle and see her achieve her dream of an Olympic medal was very special," the former World Cup winner said.

"Danielle really trusted the coaching team and the plan and process in place for her. It was nice to see the plan fall into place and many years of work pay off."

Other Gen 32 success stories included Jackson Holtham, who served as the snowboard cross coach in the 2026 Winter Olympics, where Josie Baff – who Holtham had spent several years working with – won the gold medal.

Whilst the success of Australia’s athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympics has already fuelled a surge in interest in the next generation of athletes, Topalovic believes any success will equally depend on the quality of coaches who will guide their journey.

"If we want to continue producing world-class athletes, we need to develop world-class coaches," he said.

"Programs like Gen 32 provide an important pathway for coaches to develop, learn from others and gain experience, which will be vital for sustaining Australia's success into Alpes 2030 and Utah 2034."

Beginning in July 2022, the Gen 32 Program is a two-year immersive coach development program for emerging pathway and early career coaches, with 59 coaches across two intakes already taking part.

Applications for the next round of Gen 32 scholarships are now open for interested coaches, with applications accepted until Monday 14 September 2026 at 4:00pm (AEST).

To find out more about the program and submit your application, please visit: National Generation 2032 Coach Program | ASC