Cooper started mogul skiing when he was 11 years-old, joining the Perisher Winter Sports Club program, and has dreamt of representing Australia at the Winter Olympic Games since he was 13.

“I was following my older cousin Ethan around the ski hill and he was doing really well in the sport, so I decided to start mogul skiing as well,” Cooper said.

“It wasn’t until I was 13 I realised I wanted to go to the Olympic Games and that I had a really good opportunity in mogul skiing.”

With a natural talent for the sport and an unwavering work ethic, Cooper quickly excelled in mogul skiing and began to move up the Australian junior ranks.

Cooper was selected to represent Australia at the 2017 Asian Winter Games held in Sapporo, Japan. That same year Cooper made his World Cup debut in Deer Valley, USA where he placed 24th in the dual moguls.

Prior to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, Cooper was given the opportunity to compete for the entire World Cup tour with the Australian Team. This experience gave him a valuable insight into what it takes to be the best.

“Leading into Pyeongchang was a massive learning curve for me. It taught me how to be an elite athlete and what it takes to get to an Olympic Games.

“That experience really helped me realise what I needed to do to prepare myself and get ready for these upcoming 2022 Olympics.”

Late in 2018 Cooper became the first Australian man to win the US selections competition in Winter Park, USA. Winning this event was a massive step in the then 17-year-old's career, progressing him onto the World Cup circuit full-time.

While Cooper continued to perform consistently across the 2019-20 season, falling just shy of a finals spot at a number of World Cup events, he certainly came into his own the following season and showed the world of mogul skiing he was one to watch.

He broke through for his first World Cup final in Idre Fjall, Sweden in December 2020. Cooper went on to finish a career best 12th at the Deer Valley World Cup in January 2021.

“I wasn’t really sure what to expect heading into the season. I had done a lot of work with my coach Steve Desovich and the surrounding staff, and so it was really cool to finally see all of my hard work starting to pay off and achieving some of these results I'd been working towards.

“Making those finals for the first time in Sweden was definitely a highlight of the season. It just made me hungry for more, because now I know what I am capable of.”

The young gun went on to compete at his debut World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan where he finished in 15th place. Cooper finished the season ranked 17th in the world, before his 21st birthday, which put him in a strong position to qualify for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

As to what keeps the mogul skier from Merimbula in NSW motivated to continually train hard every day, Cooper credits his teammates.

“I know my teammates are doing a lot of work ... and that motivates me so that I don’t get left behind. I feel like I've got a lot to show in my sport and bring a lot to Australian mogul skiing and my teammates really push me to be my best.”

Cooper’s itching to represent his country in Beijing and is hoping to show the world what he’s capable of.

“I'm really looking forward to the experience and the hype around the Olympics. It is the number one event that you can go to in our sport, so I am really excited!

“While my goal is to finish in the top ten, I just really want to have fun and enjoy it.

“When I cross that finish line, I want to be 100% honest with myself and know I have done everything I can, to do the best I can on the day.”

Taylah O’Neill