With the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games only six months away, let’s look at who the spotlight will be on for Australia.
The main medal contenders are:
- Torah Bright (snowboarding)
- Holly Crawford (snowboarding)
- Jacqui Cooper (aerial skiing)
- Lydia Lassila (aerial skiing)
- Dale Begg-Smith (moguls)
What if Australia only had half dozen genuine medal hopes at the Summer Olympics? Imagine the wide-spread attention those 5-6 athletes would be given in the lead up to and during the Games by media and sponsors.
Well this is exactly the scenario we have for the Winter Olympics. An uncluttered opportunity for sponsors on a global scale.
Australia won’t produce multiple medal winners like the Beijing Olympics. This means the one or two athletes who do well for Australia in Vancouver will be glorified by the media and their profile cemented much like Alisa Camplin and Steven Bradbury in 2002.
So who should Australian sponsors be looking at?
Jacqui Cooper has a good profile with a great story and will find a lot of public support for her gold medal quest.
Lydia Lassila was famously injured at the last Olympics so has the profile and will be the subject of a media fairytale if she can win.
Dale Begg-Smith is a great chance at back to back gold but the accent and fact he lives abroad leaves him little warmth from the Australian public.
Holly Crawford is good chance but stopping her might be….
Torah Bright, arguably the world’s best female snowboarding talent. Bright ticks all the boxes, good looking, clean cut, super exciting to watch, great with the media and a smile to die for. She is a super chance for gold. Watch the media and public go berzerk if this girl wins.
