Champagne, selfies and celebrations: Winter Olympians return to Australia in style

Cooper Woods has walked through the international arrivals terminal at Sydney Airport - commonly referred to as the “fishbowl” - on countless occasions with very little fanfare as a rising mogul skier.

It’s why Thursday morning came as a pleasant surprise for one of Australia’s three Winter Olympics gold medallists, as he raised his arms in the air, delivered a couple of fist bumps and yelled out “C’mon” to about 100 onlookers – plus a Qantas kangaroo mascot – waving green-and-gold pom poms.

With a gold medal draped around his neck, its ribbon already looking worse for wear – “once I get the new ribbon, I’ll be a bit more careful” – Woods was flanked by silver medallist Danielle Scott and Daisy Thomas, who also enjoyed a rock-star welcome following Australia’s most successful Winter Olympics campaign.

After a couple of glasses of champagne and a bacon and egg roll on the plane from Singapore, either side of a long and much-needed sleep and a few selfies with members of the cabin crew, Woods was blown away by the reception.

“It’s cool and overwhelming,” the 25-year-old said. “I just saw some young mogul skiers that I’ve known for years and their parents, which was really cool. I didn’t expect it to be this big.”

Woods has lost count of how many people have tried on his gold medal over the past fortnight. Some came down just to catch a glimpse, including one man who asked this masthead: “Do you know the event he won?”

Australia’s winter athletes struggle for coverage outside the Games, but Woods is adamant a record campaign at Milano Cortina can keep interest high, not just when the 2030 Olympics in the French Alps draws closer.

Australia finished 14th on the medal tally in Italy, with three gold, two silver and a bronze.

“I don’t think we’re going to lose momentum,” Woods said. “I think we’ve set a new belief - not just in winter sports athletes and staff and programs, but in Australia as a whole. We’re really putting winter sports on the map.

“People stayed up late supporting us and it’s not easy when you’ve got to go to work and school. We’re going to be hungry and we want more. That’s what we do as Australians.

“We’re such a small nation in winter sports, but we pack a big punch. We really hit everything out of the park. In four years’ time, there’s going to be a lot more to come.”

Woods has enjoyed himself as much as anyone since taking out the men’s moguls final. He’s also had a handful of people on social media asking if they can be his girlfriend. No marriage proposals yet, he says.

“We’ve at least got to go on a coffee date before that,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve had some pretty funny DMs [direct messages]. It’s all just a bit of fun.”

Woods will travel to his hometown of Merimbula on the NSW South Coast to celebrate with friends and family, return to Sydney for more media commitments, before gearing up for “glamour on the grid” at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne next week.

“I needed to enjoy the rest [on the plane]. Otherwise, I would have been cooked,” he said. “To have everyone so stoked is such an honour.”

Meanwhile, Scott managed to snap a photo in the cockpit of the plane on the way home, wearing her silver medal from the women’s aerials and the pilot’s hat. She was greeted by family members, having asked them to not travel to Italy so she could focus on competition. It paid off in a big way.

“The fact Cooper’s still upright is impressive,” Scott said. “It’s been fun watching his journey. Just so proud. He really deserves it and super excited for him.

“I’m blown away just walking out here and hearing everyone cheering.

“We thought there’d be some people, but we didn’t think there’d be this many.

“It’s all sinking in. We’ll see where this ride takes us.”