Valentino Guseli

Fast Facts

Sport: Snowboard
Event: Halfpipe
Olympic History: Beijing 2022
Highlights: Halfpipe air world record holder, 6th halfpipe Beijing 2022, Silver Halfpipe 2023 World Championships
Year Born: 2005

About Valentino

Valentino Guseli was just 16 when he was sixth in the halfpipe at Beijing 2022. He has gone on to win medals in slopestyle, big air and halfpipe events and is considering contesting all three at Milano Cortina 2026 if he is fit. No male snowboarder has ever entered three events at the Olympics.  

Born in Canberra and raised in Dalmeny on the NSW South Coast, Valentino built his life around snow and surf. As a child he began riding at Perisher and, at seven, travelled to the United States to train under coach Mike Lund in Vermont. Back home, his Nonno, Guido, helped keep his progression on track by building a jump in the backyard so Valentino could spend more time with family between trips.  

His early promise translated quickly to results: silver in the 2018 US Open Junior Jam and gold in 2019 at Vail thrust him into the international spotlight and opened the door to contest senior events against the world’s best. 

Valentino’s World Cup debut arrived in Laax in 2021, where he stunned the field by qualifying first and finishing eighth in the final. Weeks later he set a benchmark that announced his ambition to redefine what is possible in transition riding: the highest air ever recorded out of a halfpipe, measured at 7.3 metres at Laax, surpassing a mark set by snowboarding legend Sean White that had stood for more than a decade. Those moments set the tone for his approach to creativity, amplitude and consistency in equal measure. 

In 2022, still a teenager, he became an Olympian at the Beijing Winter Games. Riding three clean runs under pressure, he placed sixth in the men’s halfpipe final, at the time the best Olympic halfpipe result by an Australian under 18. The performance confirmed that his big-stage composure matched his technical range. 

The 2022–23 season was historic. Valentino became the first snowboarder to stand on the World Cup podium in all three park and pipe disciplines—big air, slopestyle and halfpipe, within a single season, including a big air victory in Edmonton and a rare double podium at Mammoth Mountain. He secured the overall Park & Pipe Crystal Globe and the Big Air Crystal Globe, underlining his rare versatility across the sport’s most specialised events.  

At the Bakuriani 2023 World Championships, he battled through a painful ankle injury that forced him to skip slopestyle and big air, then returned to the halfpipe to claim silver, just half a point short of gold with a sublime final run. The medal was a testament to his resilience and competitive instincts. 

Valentino built again in 2023–24. At the Laax Open he finished second in a thrilling night final and stamped a world-first by landing a frontside 1620 on his last hit, progression on full display. Weeks later he earned his maiden World Cup halfpipe victory in Calgary with a best score of 91.50 and closed the season with slopestyle bronze at Silvaplana to clinch back‑to‑back overall Park & Pipe Crystal Globes.

In April 2024, he soared into snowboarding folklore at The Nines in Switzerland, setting a new world record for the highest air on a hip at 11.5 metres. The leap eclipsed a mark that had stood since 2016 and underlined Valentino’s reputation as a rider who pairs imagination with fearlessness.  

A serious knee injury interrupted his momentum in 2025, but he returned to training with the same ambition and optimism that have shaped his career. He made his return to the World Cup circuit in November 2025, competing in the big air at Secret Garden (30th) and Beijing (13th). At Steamboat (USA) he finished 46th in big air before he started producing his usual form.  

In Copper (USA) he finished third in the halfpipe with 84.75 points and then two weeks later in Calgary (CAN) he won with with 87.75 points. At the Laax (SUI) double header event rode to bronze in the halfpipe (80.25), which was won by Scotty James (98.75) and then went on to finish 17th in slopestyle.   

With Italian heritage on his father’s side, Valentino has honed his Italian language skills with the help of his grandparents, he has spoken openly about his excitement for Milano Cortina 2026.  

Away from competition, Valentino’s balance reflects the coast-to-alps rhythm of his upbringing. He surfs, plays guitar and talks about snowboarding as an outlet for creativity as much as competition. Above all, he relishes the chance to keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible on a snowboard, whether that is by stacking podiums across three disciplines or flying higher than anyone before him.