Sitting fifth at the end of the first round, Hickman was looking good at the start of her second effort.<\/p>\n
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Winter Olympics day 13<\/a>: Aussie teen star Brown chases halfpipe final berth<\/p>\n Stay across the highs and lows of the Games with the ABC Sport Daily podcast<\/a> and ABC Sport<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, the 16-year-old came unstuck on one of the exceedingly high rail structures at the top of the course and landed heavily in the hard-packed snow.<\/p>\n For a worrying moment, Hickman lay in the snow before cameras cut away.<\/p>\n Ally Hickman hit the deck twice during the snowboard slopestyle final. (AP Photo: Lindsey Wasson)<\/p>\n These Games, despite being the most successful the Australian team has ever had, has seen a high number of injuries to the team as well<\/a>, with fears Hickman could have been added to a list that includes Daisy Thomas, Cam Bolton and Laura Peel<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, Hickman showed all the grit Australian fans love to embrace by fronting up and getting back into action for her third and final run.<\/p>\n “I’d like to think I’m courageous, getting back up there after the crash,” Hickman said when it was put to her that she was brave to continue.<\/p>\n “I was definitely contemplating not doing my third run.<\/p>\n “But it’s the Olympics, you’ve got to do everything \u2026 [and] doing it felt really good.”<\/p>\n She didn’t just do a third run. Right up until the final jump she appeared set for a higher score than her first run.<\/p>\n However, she couldn’t stick the final landing and finished seventh overall.<\/p>\n But, in what was her first Winter Olympics, the second-youngest member of the Australian team could not have been happier with her efforts.<\/p>\n Ally Hickman was understandably proud of her efforts. (Getty Images: Ian MacNicol)<\/p>\n “I’m very proud of how I went, and I’m happy that I landed my first run,” Hickman said.<\/p>\n “I tried to go for it on my second run, it didn’t quite go to plan, but my third run\u2026 But just the last jump was a bit slow, unfortunately.<\/p>\n “I’m a bit bummed that I didn’t land my last run, but yeah, I’m feeling so stoked.”<\/p>\n Hickman deserves an awful lot of credit for getting back up and completing the run at all.<\/p>\n As has been proved at the Winter Olympics so far, these athletes are seemingly most comfortable when putting their body at risk, whatever the consequences of a mistake will lead to.<\/p>\n Hickman’s fall was desperately tough, requiring a trip to the clinic for x-rays which, thankfully, showed no major damage.<\/p>\n Read more about the Winter Olympics:<\/p>\n Although the 16-year-old noted that she was fine, with just a couple of bruises, she did acknowledge that she hit the ground “pretty hard”.<\/p>\n “I just fell off the rail a bit early,” she said.<\/p>\n “I was really winded when I fell and I was just trying to catch my breath.<\/p>\n “But I went off to the side and caught my breath back and went back up to the top.”<\/p>\n There, she was assessed by medical staff and spoke with her coach before deciding to have another go, despite there being an understandable degree of apprehension.<\/p>\n Ally Hickman got back on the rails less than an hour after her fall. (Getty Images: VOIGT\/Frank Heinen)<\/p>\n “I was a bit nervous coming to the second rail,” Hickman said.<\/p>\n “I could see my board mark in the rail beside it and I was like, ‘don’t look at it’.<\/p>\n “After I made it past the second rail, it felt like I was just in a flow state, which felt so good to be doing my run again.<\/p>\n “That last jump was just a bit unfortunate, but I laid everything out there and showed the world my snowboarding, which was the main thing.”<\/p>\n![\"Ally](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771541710_234_14a858f16f4f8e188cdb39eaac0c6c73.jpeg\")
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