There is less than 100 days until Australia’s athletes compete against the best in the world at the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, Italy. Excitement is high for a team shaping up with experienced stars and amazing new talent.

To date eight Australian athletes and two sport spots have been qualified in the disciplines of aerial skiing, biathlon, figure skating, mogul skiing, snowboard half pipe and snowboard cross.

In Sydney on Wednesday three qualified athletes - Damon Hayler (snowboard cross), Jacqui Cooper and Lydia Ierodiaconou (aerial skiing) - along with alpine skiing hopeful AJ Bear marked 100 days to go at a Press Conference in Sydney. The four athletes also paraded some of the competition uniform from Team Supplier Karbon.

Over the coming weeks over 60 Australian athletes will try and join the ten already qualified for Torino. The Australian Olympic Committee is expecting a team of around 30 athletes across 12 disciplines. Even for the four athletes in Sydney today the next 100 days will be quite different.

AJ Bear departs next Tuesday for further training in Canada before his World Cup season begins in Lake Louise at the end of the month. Damon Hayler will enjoy some sun and Sydney's Dee Why beach following his recent qualfication before contesting all World Cup events leading into Torino.

Former world champion Cooper and recent world number two Ierodiaconou will concentrate on training and only contest one or two World Cups in January next year. Both are on the comeback from horrific injuries and entirely focussed on the Olympic Games rather than World Cup stardom. Defending Olympic champion Alisa Camplin is expected to follow a similar path as she is in the early stages or recovering from ACL allograft surgery. This is the same surgery that Ierodiaconou had earlier in the year.

“I’ll spend a couple more weeks getting stronger here in the gym before I go away and test it on snow” she said. “I’m taking it very slowly”.

The snowboard team in Torino is threatening to upstage the aerial gymnasts. Torah Bright, Andrew Burton and Holly Crawford in halfpipe, and Damon Hayler in snowboard cross have all qualified and proven to be medal forces internationally. Bright as world number two is the best prospect. Meanwhile recent World Cup medallist Damon Hayler is not content with just making the team.

‘I’m not going for the ride, I’m not a tourist, and I am going there with every intention of winning a medal” Hayler said.

Topping the two gold from Salt Lake City, Camplin and Steven Bradbury in short track, was always going to an enormous task. However, if the aerial stars can regain full fitness and the new snowboard talent continue to make podiums the 2006 Australian Olympic Winter Team is sure to have a big impact in Torino from February 10-26.

AOC