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Draft:Abbey Willcox

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Abbey Willcox (born 1996) is an Australian freestyle aerial skier competing in the FIS World Cup circuit.

Early Life and Training

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Willcox developed her acrobatic abilities through gymnastics and sports acrobatics. She transitioned these skills into aerial skiing, starting her training on water ramps in Melbourne, Victoria, and Park City, Utah, USA.1

Career

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International Debut

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Willcox began her international aerial skiing career in 2016 at the Europa Cup in Ruka, Finland. She made her World Cup debut in Lake Placid, USA, in 2019, where she progressed to performing double-twisting double-flips. That year, she achieved a personal best World Cup finish of 13th in Minsk.2

Breakthrough and Injury

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The 2019-2020 World Cup season marked a significant breakthrough for Willcox. She earned her first World Cup podium, taking bronze in Deer Valley, Utah, USA, in February 2020. She finished the season ranked 7th in the world, a career best. However, the following 2020-2021 season was marred by injury. Willcox sustained a leg injury during finals training in Yaroslavl, Russia, requiring surgery and ending her season.

Return to Competition

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Willcox returned to competition in the 2021-2022 season, achieving four top-15 World Cup performances. Despite this, she missed out on qualifying for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics due to the impact of her injury on the Olympic Ranking List. 3

Recent Achievements

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In the 2023 season, Willcox took a break from on-snow training but continued to train on water ramps at the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre in Brisbane. She resumed competition in September 2023, placing second in a Water Jump Grand Prix event at the Geoff Henke Centre. The 2023-2024 FIS World Cup season was highlighted by her second career World Cup podium, with a bronze medal at Deer Valley, and top-six finishes in both days of competition at Lac-Beauport, Canada. She ended the season ranked 7th, matching her previous best. 4 5 6

Personal Life

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Whilst Abbey is training full time, she also works full time in Sports Marketing and Events. 1

References

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  • 1. "Abbey Willcox." OWIA, owia.org. ↩
  • 2. "FIS Ski." FIS-Ski, fis-ski.com. ↩
  • 3. "A Season to Savour for Abbey Willcox." NBN News, nbnnews.com.au. ↩
  • 4. "World Cup Aerial Skiing: Danielle Scott and Abbey Willcox." ABC News, abc.net.au. ↩
  • 5. "Abbey Willcox's Profile and Career Highlights." OWIA, owia.org. ↩