Homework to halfpipe: Sixteen-year-old Aussie nails Olympic debut to set up medal tilt

2 weeks ago 2

Every Event. Every Medal in 4K.

Watch live & on demand.

Livigno: In the hours before teenager Indra Brown’s Olympic debut, she wasn’t locking in for the biggest moment of her life. She was doing her maths homework.

Specifically, she was brushing up on linear equations.

It’s no surprise, though, that the 16-year-old from Melbourne found her maths homework harder than the seven-metre halfpipe she dropped into on Thursday night (local time), especially after she put down a score of 87.5 to finish fourth and qualify for the women’s freeski halfpipe final on Saturday (local time).

“Amazing,” Indra said of her run. “To be able to put two runs down at my first Olympics. It’s just a relief, and I’m just enjoying it so much.”

You wouldn’t have known by looking at her that Indra was about to make her Olympic debut. As she stood at the top of the halfpipe, which stretched 220 metres in front of her, she looked calm as ever as she followed global star, reigning Olympic champion and unofficial ‘big sister’ Eileen Gu in qualifying.

Gu, the first to drop on Thursday night, was glowing in her praise of Australia’s rising star when asked about her last week, calling Indra the “real deal” and a “little me”.

Australian teenager Indra Brown flies through the air during her Olympic debut on Thursday night.

“Her ski style reminds me a lot of myself, especially in the pipe. The way she grabs, the axis that she has in the pipe, going from slope to pipe, I think you really see that kind of DNA shift, which is really special,” Gu said at the time.

“It makes me really happy. I think she’s going to be really good for the future of women’s pipe skiing. I’ve been looking for someone like that for a while, and she, I think, is the real deal.”

As Indra flew through the air on Thursday night, it wasn’t hard to see why.

She nailed her first run, scoring a solid 80.75 to set the standard for the rest of the field.

“Landing my first run, the pressure was off,” Indra said.

Indra Brown after her second qualifying run on Thursday night.

“I knew I’ve got a score down so I can really increase my amp [height], add a new trick, and just see how much I can push it. I added the switch cork seven in.”

What that means is that Indra upped the degree of difficulty in her second run, adding in an off-axis trick to show the judges she’s got more in the tank. She also went bigger and higher on her tricks in her second run, with amplitude being one of the main judging criteria.

Indra’s result is stunning, but it’s not surprising. She’s been dominant on the world cup circuit since making her debut in December, winning a bronze, silver and gold ahead of the 2026 Olympic, along with winning an X Games bronze just last month.

The Olympic halfpipe is not for the faint-hearted either, with Gu tumbling into the pipe after an error in her first run, and 2022 silver medal winner Cassie Sharpe needing to be stretchered off following a horror crash.

Both Gu and Sharpe qualified for the final, although it’s unclear what condition Sharpe will be in.

This week hasn’t been strictly business for Indra. The maths homework and training aside, she’s also soaking up everything that comes with being a first-time Olympian.

“I have been on the pin-trading game. I’ve loved that,” said Brown. “They’re all so unique and different in their own ways, so I just love collecting them.”

Indra Brown after nailing her run in qualifying.

She’s also been taking the chance to spend time with her family, who are often on the other side of the world due to the world cup circuit.

Now, Indra has two days before the Olympic final. But just as she was calm and collected before qualifying, she’s equally relaxed about what the next two days will bring.

“Just rest, you know, enjoy myself. Not put any pressure on myself, or think I have to get a certain place,” she said.

“It’s really helpful to have my family here. You know, I can go hang out with them. We’ve gone exploring just around Livigno, it’s been such a beautiful place. It’s really good to go for a walk.”

The homework will take a back seat, but Indra said her school – Methodist Ladies College (MLC) in Melbourne – had been lenient given the extraordinary circumstances.

“My school is amazing. You know, they’re just really supportive of me and not like expecting me to have every [bit of home] work done as soon as it comes,” she said.

Expect Brown to pull out something special in the final. She wouldn’t say what she had up her sleeve to try to end up on the podium, but gave knowing smile when asked if she had something new.

“We’ll see,” she said. “We’ll see.”

The Winter Olympic Games is broadcast on the Nine Network, 9Now and Stan Sport.

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.