Sunbury-raised Airleigh Frigo has been named in the aerial skiing team as Australia announced its second biggest winter Olympic team ever.
There will be 52 athletes representing Australia, with 27, including Frigo, making their Olympics debut.
Frigo is part of the strong aerial skiing team, where Australia has tasted success before.
Born in 1999 and raised in Sunbury, Frigo came to aerial skiing through a childhood in gymnastics and other sports, a pathway shared by many in Australia’s freestyle ranks.
in gymnastics and other sports, a pathway shared by many in Australia’s freestyle ranks.
She did swimming and basketball as a kid along with gymnastics.
“I loved the competitive nature of sport and feeling like I could do things that others couldn’t do” Frigo said on the Olympics website.
“I started aerials when I was 18 years old and knew I wanted to represent Australia at the Olympics Games.”
Frigo, who now lives in Melton, joined the Victorian Institute of Sport and the national aerial skiing setup, progressing through domestic and international development pathways before earning an Olympic Winter Institute of Australia athlete performance contract in 2023.
That came after she made her international debut in early 2019 and has made massive inroads in her career since.
Her international breakthrough arrived in January 2025 at Lac‑Beauport, Canada, where she earned her maiden World Cup medal, finishing third behind teammate Laura Peel and the USA’s Karenna Elliott. It was a composed, career‑first podium that confirmed her step up to consistent finals contention at the top level.
Two weeks later she helped create Australian history at Deer Valley, Utah. On an evening of heavy snow and truncated training, Australians swept the podium for the first time in any FIS Freestyle World Cup event, with Peel first, Danielle Scott second and Abbey Willcox third, while Frigo finished fourth to complete an unprecedented Australian 1‑2‑3‑4.
From the six World Cups leading into the Games she achieved four top-10 performances.
She jumped to bronze and fourth in World Cups in early 2025 and followed that a few weeks later with eighth at the World Championships.
The Olympics website said with a first World Cup podium, a World Championships top‑eight and multiple finals across 2025 and 2026, Frigo has established herself within Australia’s aerials team.
On the Olympic website, it said that away from the scoreboard, Frigo says she “always wanted to do things that other people could not,” a spirit that helps explain her late‑teen switch from gymnastics to aerials in 2017 and her steady rise through the development ranks.
On Instagram, Frigo said that little Airleigh would be losing her mind right now.
“From skiing recreationally with my family, to 10 years of gymnastics and finally landing in a sport that not only combined the two, but will be the sport that makes me an Olympian, is something I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams,” she said.
“I was just a kid with a mad passion for sport and I’m so proud of all the hard work that has lead me to this.
Thank you to my coaches, team and anyone who has helped me throughout this journey.
“To all my family, friends and Flynn, thank you for your support over the years, We did it.
“But most importantly, thank you to my Mum and Dad. You have undeniably been the most vital people in my life who have sacrificed, helped and believed in me achieving this dream. None of this was possible without you.”
