Skier Rosie Fordham wins Kangaroo Hoppet for the second time
Australian skier Rosie Fordham won the women’s Kangaroo Hoppet race in Victoria for the second consecutive year. She finished ahead of 2026 Olympian Maddie Hooker and biathlete Isabella Moon. This was reported by ABC News Australia.
The 32nd Kangaroo Hoppet brought together 730 skiers across three starts despite difficult snow conditions. This year, the course was shortened: instead of the usual two-lap format, participants completed four laps over a shorter distance. In the men’s race, Olympian Lars Young Vik won for the first time, Seve de Campo finished second, and Bentley Walker-Broose came third.
Fordham’s record results
Fordham, 24, from New South Wales, is Australia’s most successful cross-country skier. Last year, she became the first Australian to win a medal at an international cross-country skiing competition, taking silver in the 10 km freestyle individual-start race at the FIS Under-23 World Championships.
She later finished in the top 20 several times at FIS World Cup events. At the Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina, Fordham placed 29th in the 50 km mass-start race in Val di Fiemme, the highest Olympic placing by an Australian in cross-country skiing.
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The skier said that the support from participants and fans at the Kangaroo Hoppet reminded her of the large community of supporters of the sport in Australia. According to her, race participants recognized leading athletes and cheered them on by name even during their own starts.
Plans for the season
The 2026/27 season will be Fordham’s first after completing her studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, when she will focus on sport full time. She plans to train in Lillehammer, Norway, with the Great Britain national team, before competing at the World Cup and the World Championships in Falun, Sweden.
The athlete named competing at the 2034 Olympic Games in Utah as her long-term goal. On the Olympic course in Utah, she previously placed fourth at the U.S. Championships, earned her first university podium and won two NCAA titles this year. Fordham named the World Championships and the next Winter Olympic Games in France as her immediate goals.
