Valentino Guseli: Top five things to know about Australian snowboarding prodigy
By the age of 17, the Australian snowboarder has already made history and competed in an Olympic final at Beijing 2022. But did you know that he plays other sports competitively and is a musician? Find out more below.
Snowboard
There’s a new star in snowboarding, and his name is Valentino Guseli.
The curly-haired Australian has exploded up the sport’s elite ranks in the past two seasons, and now boasts a resume that most veteran athletes could only dream of.
In March 2021, aged just 15, Guseli broke Shaun White’s 11-year-old big air world record when he flew 7.3m into the air on his World Cup debut at the LAAX Open in Switzerland.
A year later, he was selected as the youngest member of Team Australia for the Winter Olympic Games Beijing 2022, and finished sixth in the halfpipe final.
This season he completed a rare double at California’s Mammoth Mountain, winning silver in both the halfpipe and slopestyle FIS World Cup competitions. Combined with the big air title he won in Edmonton in December 2022, Guseli became the fourth athlete in snowboard history to achieve medals in all three disciplines, but the first to do so in a single season.
The also became the youngest Australian ever to win a FIS World Cup Crystal Globe and the first to win a FIS World Cup Big Air Crystal Globe.
Below, we take a deeper look at Guseli’s background, at the many sports he practises away from the snow, and more.
1 - Valentino Guseli’s back-door jump in Australia
Guseli is from Dalmeny, a small town on New South Wales’ south coast.
He showed natural ability on the state’s slopes at Perisher, but his Nonno (Italian for grandfather) Guido, and dad Ric decided to build a 10-metre high jump with a 20-metre landing airbag on their property so that he had somewhere closer to home to train.
Guseli’s progress was quick and by the age of seven, it was decided that he would start training under US Snowboarding coach Mike Lund in Vermont, USA.
At just 11-years-old, the Aussie prodigy became the youngest person ever to perform a double backflip.
2 - Refusing to specialise
Despite now working with some of the world’s greatest snowboard coaches, Guseli’s first stop for advice remains his dad.
“You meet so many people in this industry, and they all have their two cents,” the youngster told Snowsbest.
That included people telling Guseli to concentrate on just one discipline. But Ric, who has studied every detail of his son’s sport, and Valentino chose to stay multidisciplinary, and the results prove that it was a good call.
“It felt good to show that to the world,” the big air, halfpipe, and slopestyle rider continued.
3 - Idolising Scotty James
Australian snow sports have been on the up in recent times, and athletes like Beijing 2022 halfpipe silver medallist and three-time world champion Scotty James have helped to pave the way for the likes of Guseli.
James is part of an unofficial group of riders known as the “Boarderoos,” which is an elite paddock full of Australian snowboarders that also includes Torah Bright, Tess Coady, and the late Chumpy Pullin.
"Val's awesome, he's a super talented kid. I think it's important also for me [that Guseli is here], a big why that I definitely grab onto every day is what I'm doing to impact Australian sport," James said of Guseli before Beijing 2022.
The two have developed a close bond on the tour both as rivals and as friends, which means Australian snowboarding is in very good hands.
4 - Competitive surfer, casual skater
Guseli’s talents extend well beyond the realms of snow sports.
The youngster's parents’ house is literally on the beach in Australia, meaning he naturally became a very good surfer.
He’s competed in regional competitions, and also uses the sport as a way to wind down during the summer months.
But that’s not all, Guseli can ride a board on snow, water, or land, and like one of his idols Shaun White, is also a very handy skateboarder!
When he’s not playing sport, the Aussie can also be found in the classroom taking Italian lessons as a nod to his heritage.
5 - Electric guitarist and metal aficionado
Guseli’s comparison with Shaun White goes even further than star snowboarders and skaters with unique haircuts.
Just like the USA triple Olympic champion who plays in a musical band, Guseli loves to play the electric guitar!
He lists Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Faith No More, and Pink Floyd, as his favourite bands on the Australian Olympic website, which no doubt helped get him amped up for some of his huge runs over the past season.
Guseli’s dad plays the drums, so clearly there is never a dull moment at their house.