Josie Buff’s Wins gold medal in snowboard cross at Winter Olympics It was a welcome relief for Livigno’s battered team.
Australia’s men struggled in tough conditions on ThursdayJarryd Hughes and Adam Lambert (Jimmy Johnston) none of the three players made it out of the first heat.
The players have been under a lot of pressure since Cameron Bolton was kicked out of the team after breaking his neck in a training accident.
Lambert, the World Cup standings leader and Bolton’s long-time roommate, said he was extremely emotional after watching his friend be flown to hospital and that it affected him despite his best efforts.
After Thursday’s race, Lambert said, “I don’t want to see my friend, let alone my teammate, go down with such a terrible injury.”
“He takes it lightly, but it’s tough to see someone you’ve looked up to all your life die like that and have to be flown to hospital.
“Well, it affected me a little. I tried not to let it affect me, but…”
Buff also said that while Bolton’s absence was very depressing for the entire group, the email he received earlier in the day made him even more confident that he could do something special.
Josie Buff said it was heartbreaking that Cam Bolton couldn’t be there to watch her win. (Provided by: OWIA/Chris Hocking)
“It was pretty heartbreaking not having Cam here,” Buff said.
“He texted me last night and was like, ‘Josie, you can win this race,’ and I was like, ‘I know you can.’
“So it’s very special to see a message from him because it feels like we’re missing a big part of the team without him being here.
“I was happy to receive that message and know that he was watching over me and supporting me, and that he was doing well.”
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) announced on Thursday, hours after Buff finished in first place, that Bolton would be flown by medical flight to Melbourne to continue his rehabilitation.
“Following further scans and assessments in Milan, the Australian Olympic Medical Team is consulting with an expert spine surgeon in Australia to discuss the medical and holistic case management of Cam Bolton,” AOC’s statement read.
Josie Buff and Cam Bolton had a successful partnership at the World Championship. (Provided by: FIS Snowboard)
“As a result, the decision was made that the best and safest course of management was for Cam to return to Melbourne, Australia, where he would receive further definitive treatment.
“We can confirm that a specialist international medical evacuation company will transport Cam to Australia and that a medical team will arrive in Milan on Sunday 15th February to carry out a diagnosis.
“Cam will return to Australia on Monday 16th February, along with recovery doctors and nurses.”
Buff is similar to Bolton — They teamed up to win mixed team world championship gold in Erzurum in 2025.
“Cam, I remember a lot of conversations, like when I first came to Beijing, and we became very, very close after that,” Buff said.
“He taught me a lot, and I think eventually I started learning things myself.
“But Cam definitely played a huge role tactically in the early stages…and also [with] My belief in things was like he was always telling me I could do it. ”
Traveling together for several months of the year for training and matches, the group became incredibly close.
“The team is definitely a family,” Buff said.
“The coaches are like a second father to us.
“You know, we joke a lot, we fight a lot…It’s very funny, to be honest. We’re always together, we live in each other’s skin, so it’s inevitable.
“But we are one big happy family.”