6 Months on from Milano-Cortina I Rosie Fordham
Published Mon 05 Oct 2026
Six months on from making her Olympic Winter Games debut, Australian cross-country skier Rosie Fordham is building towards another season on the international circuit after a history-making campaign at Milano Cortina 2026.
The 24-year-old made her first appearance at the Games in February, competing across four events and helping Australia’s women’s cross-country team make history as the nation’s first-ever Olympic relay team.
Fordham joined Phoebe Cridland, Maddie Hooker and Ellen Søhol Lie to finish 14th in the Women’s 4x7.5km Relay, while she also placed 29th in the Women’s 50km Mass Start Classic, recording the highest-ever individual Olympic placing by an Australian cross-country skier.
She also finished 18th in the Team Sprint Free and 33rd in the 10km Interval Start Free, capping off a memorable first Games.
“It was pretty fun,” Fordham said.
“It was my first Olympics, so it was a new environment and it was really cool to have so many people out there watching, and to get out there on a race course with massive crowds and all my family and friends watching.”
With her first Olympic Games now behind her, Fordham is turning her focus to the next stage of her career, having graduated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in May and preparing for another season on the international circuit.
“I was at college in the U.S. and I just graduated this May,” she said.
“So now I’ve been back in Australia for a little bit, and then I'm going to go over to Europe to train with the British team over in Norway for a little bit, and then I’ll head into World Champs in Sweden, along with the World Cup season that starts in November.”
With another World Cup season ahead and the 2027 World Championships in Sweden on the horizon, Fordham is now focused on building on the experience of her first Olympic Games and continuing her progression on the international stage.
For the 24-year-old, the next chapter brings another opportunity to test herself against the world’s best and continue establishing herself among Australia’s leading cross-country skiers.
