The Australian Olympic Committee has today ratified the selection of the snowboard team for the Vancouver 2010 Games.

The team, made up of both youth and experience, is set to be Australia’s strongest ever, with serious medal contenders across all disciplines.

At just 23 years of age, Torah Bright is a leading force on the snowboard halfpipe scene, which she has more or less dominated for the past four years.

Bright, who made her Olympic debut in Torino 2006, goes into the Vancouver Games in top form having recovered from shoulder surgery in early 2009 to win World Cup gold in Saas Fee, Switzerland.

Teammate Holly Crawford is also set to make her second Olympic Games in halfpipe. Crawford’s international results over the last year, which have included a World Cup silver and World Championships silver, place her well in line for a podium result in Vancouver.

Running off the back of a recent fifth place in the Veysonnaz World Cup in Switzerland, 22-year-old Alex Pullin is mixing it with the best in snowboard cross.

“Boardercross is a stacked event in which experience is your friend,” Pullin said.

“Each heat is a challenge but the more you get through, the better you get. My results lately have given me a lot of confidence and have set me up with a good riding rhythm.”

Together with teammate Damon Hayler, Pullin is looking for gold at Cypress Mountain next month.

“We’ve been riding together for a few years and we both feel capable of a medal in Vancouver,” he said.

“Lately we’ve had a lot of solid racing and we won’t be holding back at the Games. I’ve got the fire in my belly now and I want to get to the top.”

Vancouver will be Pullin’s Olympic debut and coach Ben Wordsworth sees a bright future for the young rider.

“He’s been pulling top five results lately and in boardercross that’s really good,” Wordsworth said.

“If you can make top eight, then you’ve got a shot at the final. From there you can get a medal.”

The men’s halfpipe will be contested by Torino Olympian Ben Mates and teenager Scott James.

James, a rising star on the international circuit this season, will make his Olympic debut after teammate Nate Johnstone was disappointingly ruled out with an ankle injury sustained in training.

Australia will also be represented in the parallel giant slalom event by Victorian rider Joh Shaw.

Wordsworth has realistic but strong hopes for the entire snowboard section of the Team, with medals firmly in his sights.

“They’ve got the best preparation you could hope for,” he said. “They’ve qualified early, trained hard and go into Vancouver fit, strong and injury free.”

The snowboard section of the 2010 Australian Olympic Winter Team:

- Torah Bright (23)  Cooma, NSW   Halfpipe
- Holly Crawford (26)  Sydney, NSW   Halfpipe
- Damon Hayler  (33)  Dee Why, NSW  Snowboard Cross
- Scott James (15)  VIC    Halfpipe
- Ben Mates (26)  Batemans Bay, NSW  Halfpipe
- Alex Pullin (22)  Mansfield, VIC  Snowboard Cross
- Johanna Shaw (27)  Melbourne, VIC  Parallel Giant Slalom

Note: Australia is on the list to be allocated a female snowboard cross quota place by FIS under the quota reallocation process by 28 January 2010. If this occurs, Stephanie Hickey has been nominated as the athlete to be added to the Team.