Sophie and Gabi Ash set Australia first at Beijing 2022

Sophie and Gabi Ash will make a little piece of history at Beijing 2022,

The debutants are the first sisters to be selected for Team Australia at an Olympic Winter Games.

Both will feature in freestyle skiing with Sophie, 25, competing in the moguls and Gabi, 23, the aerials.

The Melbourne-based duo are among 13 freeskiers flying the flag, Australia's biggest turnout for any sport in Beijing.

Elizabeth and Peter Cain were the first siblings on an Australian Winter Olympic team, competing in pairs figure skating at Lake Placid 1980.

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Sophie and Gabi Ash: Road to Beijing

The sisters took different routes to Beijing with Sophie, who is also a filmmaker, choosing between acrobatics/trampolining and skiing.

She eventually chose mogul skiing aged 15 having first put on skis as a two-year-old.

Sophie made her competitive debut in 2011 and was 24th in the 2021/22 World Cup rankings.

Meanwhile, Gabi took part in gymnastics and diving before switching to aerial skiing in 2016.

She competed in a Europa Cup event in Ruka, Finland, in December 2017 and finished in 15th place.

A World Cup debut followed in 2018/19 at Lake Placid, finishing 22nd, before enjoying a breakthrough 2019/20 season which included her first podium finishes - third places at Lake Placid and Le Relais Nor-Am.

The younger Ash has made improvements in each of her three World Cups campaigns, coming 20th, seventh and then sixth.

Gabi told Australian Olympic Team: "We didn't really compete against each other, Sophie was a lot higher-level skier than I was."

"It always felt like we did different things or were in different areas, I guess," Sophie adds. "It would have been a bit harder maybe from a competitive standpoint but I'm glad we didn't end up doing the same thing."

It has not always been like that with Gabi admitting: "We were competitive when we were younger."

Now they are definitely on the same side. "You're not just one of my teammates but also my sister," Sophie says. "It's amazing."

When do Sophie and Gabi Ash compete for Australia at Beijing 2022?

Sophie Ash will be one of the first Australian freestyle skiers in action in Beijing, going in Women's Moguls Qualification 1 along with former world champion and three-time Olympian Britteny Cox on Thursday 3 February at 18:00 Beijing time (21:00 AEDT).

The top 10 will go straight through to the final with the remaining 20 athletes getting a second chance in Qualification 2 on Sunday 6 February at 18:00 Beijing time (21:00 AEDT).

The final follows shortly after with a total of 20 skiers taking part. The first of three runs at 19:30 Beijing time (22:30 AEDT).

Sister Gabi will have to wait until Sunday 13 February to make her Olympic debut in Women's Aerials Qualification 1 at 19:00 Beijing time (22:00 AEDT). Women's Aerials Qualification 2 takes place just after at 19:45 Beijing time (22:45 AEDT).

The final is on Monday 14 February with the first of two runs at 19:00 Beijing time (22:00 AEDT).