Kyra's Story
Fast Facts
Sport: Freestyle Skiing
Event: Ski Cross
Olympic History: Milano Cortina 2026
Highlights: World Cup 13th and 14th, February 2025
About Kyra
Kyra Wheatley will represent Australia in ski cross at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Kyra got her first taste of the Games environment when she competed at the Winter Youth Olympic Games.
She had a strong start to 2025 with a 14th and 13th at the Val di Fassa World Cups. A knee injury ruled her out of the 2025 World Championships, but she has been back racing well in the three months before the Games.
Born and raised on Sydney’s North Shore, Kyra first clicked into skis at three on a family trip to New York with her dad. Based in Wahroonga and a long-time member of the Perisher Winter Sports Club, Kyra grew up chasing every gate and jump she could find, thriving on the camaraderie of Australian winters and the wider snowsports community she met overseas.
As a junior, she was a versatile talent across Alpine disciplines before narrowing her focus to ski cross. That all‑in enthusiasm quickly translated to results: the U16 Australian Alpine title and the New Zealand U16 Youth Series crown in 2018, followed by Australian U18 Giant Slalom and Slalom titles in 2019. Pymble Ladies’ College played a big role in her early journey too; Kyra represented the school across multiple disciplines at Interschools, mentoring younger skiers and building a record of team and individual podiums.
Kyra’s first major international milestone arrived at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne in 2020. She placed 13th in the girls’ ski cross and later helped Australia to ninth in the mixed freestyle/snowboard relay. Those Youth Olympic starts set the tone: she had found her event, and the way the format rewards race craft and composure under pressure suited her perfectly.
Progress gathered pace in 2023–24. On the European Cup tour, Kyra broke through for her first top‑10 finishes, including a best of sixth at San Pellegrino, with additional top‑10s and top‑12s in Reiteralm and San Pellegrino. She also earned selection for the Junior World Championships in Idre Fjäll, placing 18th in the individual event, valuable experience that would underpin her next step.
That next step arrived across the 2024–25 Northern Hemisphere season. After a confidence‑boosting win at a Swiss Skicross Tour race in January, Kyra earned her World Cup debut in Val di Fassa, Italy in February 2025. In a superb two‑day introduction to the top tier, she qualified to the finals both days, finishing 14th on the first day and 13th on the second, performances that delivered 39 points and 29th overall on the season list.
Her form was strong enough to earn selection for the World Championships in Engadin–St Moritz in March, but a knee injury sustained in training curtailed the campaign and her season.
Kyra was back competing in November 2025, following her knee injury, and raced consistently across the FIS events, European Cup and World Cups. She placed 30th and then 27th in the double-header World Cup at Innichen (ITA) in December.
The quality of her work before the setback was recognised soon after: Kyra was named Snow Australia’s Female Ski Cross Athlete of the Year for 2025, with her World Cup debut and consistent European Cup form singled out by selectors.
Back home, where she has always kept close ties to Perisher Winter Sports Club and her school community at Pymble Ladies’ College, Kyra talks about how much she values the friendships the sport has brought her and the balance that comes from downtime near the water, from waterskiing to wakeboarding. She tries to keep her approach simple: do not stress, stay focused, and bring positive energy, advice she now passes on to younger athletes.
Named to Australia’s National Ski Cross Team and elevated again for 2025/26, Kyra heads into this season with momentum and belief. The blueprint is clear, build on the speed and race craft that delivered World Cup top‑16s in Italy. As she puts it, the feel of racing, just her and the skis, is what makes her happiest, and that joy is front and centre as she chases a first Olympic berth.
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