Congratulations to Deakin student Jakara Anthony on being named Australia’s Winter Olympics flag bearer!
Following the action from the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, we can’t wait to see our Deakin elite-athlete students step up to represent Australia once again in the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics (6–22 February 2026)!
We’re thrilled to celebrate Deakin student Jakara Anthony who has been selected as one of Australia’s flag bearers for the Milano Cortina 2026 Opening Ceremony on Friday 6 February! We also congratulate our alumni and current students who kick off their Olympic dreams. The Winter Olympics will be televised live and free exclusively on 9Now, so remember to stay tuned to catch all the on-the-ground excitement as it happens.
Let’s meet our Deakin students.
Jakara Anthony – Freestyle Skiing
Currently ranked world number one, Olympic moguls champion Jakara Anthony is Australia’s most successful freestyle skier with 26 World Cup wins, gold at the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 and silver at the 2019 World Championships. Milano Cortina 2026 will mark her third Olympic appearance, with the new Dual Moguls making its debut on the Olympic programme.
Alongside her Bachelor of Business studies, Jakara’s most recent Olympic success is a gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, becoming Australia’s first winter Olympic champion since 2010.
Jakara’s preparation for the Milano Olympics was inspirational. In 2023-24 Jakara experienced one of the greatest seasons in any winter sport, winning 14 World Cup events, a moguls single-season record, and sweeping all three Crystal Globes: single moguls, dual moguls and the combined overall. More recently in 2024-25, Jakara secured her 42nd career podium with a silver medal at the World Cup opener.
Bree Walker – Bobsleigh
Formerly a Bachelor of Health and Physical Education student at Deakin, we’re keeping our eye on alumna Bree Walker in her bid to bring home a medal for Australia!
Currently ranked second in the world for the third year, Bree will make her second Winter Olympic appearance in Milano where she’ll compete in the women’s monobob and two-woman bobsleigh events.
Starting out with Olympic dreams for athletics, Bree found state and national success in 400m hurdles before shifting her focus to bobsleigh. Since 2016, Bree has quickly established herself in her discipline, becoming the first Australian to win a World Cup gold medal in the sport and dominating the monobob circuit with seven gold medals to her name. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, she finished fifth, just shy of the podium.
Bree experienced a career highlight at the 2024 Lake Placid World Cup, where she claimed gold, set a track record and finished the season ranked second overall.
Harry Laidlaw – Alpine Skiing
We’re also looking forward to cheering on Melbourne-born alpine skier and Bachelor of Psychological Science student, Harry Laidlaw as he competes at his second Winter Olympic Games.
Harry grew up skiing at Mount Hotham, later moving to Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont, USA to pursue year-round racing. Specialising in giant slalom, his first international level competition was at the 2012 Youth Olympics in Innsbruck. He went on to compete at the St Moritz World Championships (2016-2017) and made his Olympic debut in 2018 at the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games.
His post injury comeback in 2022/23 was a turning point in his career. Harry won three Nor‑Am Cup giant slaloms, a silver medal at the European Cup, and a personal best 25th place at the 2023 World Championships.
In 2024 he became the first Australian male to reach a World Cup giant slalom second run, and later that year won the New Zealand national title at Coronet Peak.
Mia Clift – Snowboard
Bachelor of Business student, Mia Clift, is an emerging force in international snowboard cross. Growing up in snow-sport–loving family and spending her winters at Mt Buller, Mia began at snowboarding as a five-year-old and quickly developed a competitive edge through interschools events.
Mia entered her first FIS snowboard cross event in 2019, earning 6th, 3rd, and 2nd in her first three competitions and made her World Cup debut in 2021 in Secret Garden, China finishing 22nd. Returning in 2023 after a lengthy injury break, Mia delivered an impressive World Cup season, earning eight top‑16 finals, making the small final at Mt‑St‑Anne for a then‑career‑best eighth place and being named the FIS Snowboard Cross Female Rookie of the Year.
In 2025 she achieved her first World Championship podium, winning silver in the mixed team event with Cam Bolton in St. Moritz and placing ninth in the individual event. Later, at Mont-Sainte-Anne, Mia secured her first individual World Cup podiums with a silver and a bronze. Now ranked eighth in the world, Mia has established herself as a rising star in snowboard cross as she heads towards her first Winter Olympic games at Milano Cortina.
Help us cheer on our elite-athlete students from home!
Support your fellow Deakin students and alumni as they go for gold by catching all the action via Nines’s official televised coverage of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Good luck to all our athletes in Milano!
Photographs by Getty Images.
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