Returning Olympic snowboard hope Tess Coady has just missed the podium in the big air World Cup in China on a day her Australian teammate, promising freeskier Daisy Thomas, suffered an injury that will force her out of the Winter Games.
Ahead of February's showpiece in Milan-Cortina, Coady was making a competition comeback at Secret Garden, the scene of her Beijing bronze medal in 2022 when she finished third in the slopestyle.
The 25-year-old Victorian was rubbed out by shoulder surgery and concussion last year, while she has also overcome a fractured ankle and ACL injury through her career.
In big air, competitors are judged on three attempts as they speed downhill before launching themselves off a jump, completing a series of tricks and rotations with the two best scores tallied.
Coady was all smiles, landing two clean jumps to finish fourth behind an all-Japanese podium headed by Mari Fukada.
Australia had three women qualify for the eight-athlete snowboard final with 21-year-old Meila Stalker placing fifth in just her fifth World Cup start.
Ally Hickman,16, rebounded from a fall that saw her sit out the second run to post a score of 68.50 to finish seventh.
But earlier in the day, 18-year-old Olympic hopeful Thomas had been competing in the final of freeski big air event when she suffered a crash that's resulted in an ACL rupture.
The young Sydneysider will return home to Australia for surgery and a rehabilitation program with her medical team.
Olympic Winter Institute of Australia (OWIA) CEO Geoff Lipshut reported: "Daisy was on track for her first Olympics in February after training very hard in Australia all winter.
"We all wish Daisy a fast and successful return to sport, training and competition.
"Daisy was so unlucky today. She was excellent in the qualification round, and still had a career best with an injury on her second jump."
Indeed, Thomas had qualified for the final in second spot behind Scottish skier Kirsty Muir, and held that spot after the first round, scoring an impressive 88.0 points.
But Thomas, who won a silver medal at the Youth Olympics in South Korea last year, then lost control during her second run landing and crashed, staying down while clutching her knee before being assisted from the course.
She scored 27.50 with her combined score placing her sixth - which was still her best ever World Cup finish - with Muir winning her first gold.
None of the Australian men made the finals, with another Beijing Olympian Valentino Guseli also making his return to competition following ACL surgery almost a year go.
Attempting to qualify for three snowboard events at the Milan-Cortina Games, Guseli finished 30th with Joshua Robertson-Hahn the best-placed Australian in 20th.
