'I knew exactly what I had to do': Valentino and family reflect on Beijing achievements

The 16-year-old superstar from Dalmeny finished sixth in the snowboard halfpipe competition in Beijing in February, and was the only finalist to have three clean runs.

After his performance, he had a couple of weeks back home with his family (mum Kristen, dad Ric, and little sister Ali) before jetting back to Europe for the end of the World Cup series.

We spoke to Valentino and his family about the Olympics, the emotions they all experienced, and why the family is already planning for Milan in 2026.

While Valentino's rise to snowboarding stardom may seem to have been meteoric, the young star has been on a board since he could walk.

"We started going to the snow pretty much as soon as I was born," he said.

At the age of just three years old Valentino got onto a snowboard and never looked back.

"I just hopped on and loved it instantly"

Valentino and his family were living in Canberra at the time and the snow trips started to become more and more frequent as his they realised the potential their young son had in the sport.

"We began going more and more each year, as I got increasingly hooked on the sport," he said.

"I started doing races and competing at six and then we started travelling when I was seven."

"I went from smaller comps to bigger and bigger comps until I reached the level I'm at now."

The love for the sport just came naturally to Valentino and it's never wavered.

"I just loved sliding down the hill. The feeling of sliding down the hill on a little piece of wood."

"It sounds funny but the joy that something like that can bring is pretty insane," he said.

It was around the age of eight when Valentino began to realise that if he truly worked hard, he could turn his favourite hobby into a fully fledged career.

"I realised that if I could get good enough, I could just snowboard all the time," he said.

"Pretty much since that realisation, my mind has been set on getting good and continuing to get better."

Valentino states that it was his competitive nature in his younger years that really fueled him to work hard and push his abilities to the next level.

"If I didn't win, I wasn't very stoked, but that kind of drove me to continue to work harder," he said.

"I would ride every day that I could, constantly searching for new tricks and ways to improve every aspect of my boarding."

Valentino said there was never any particular decision or discussion about going pro, it just all sort of happened.

"I never felt there was that decision or moment where I was like, yes I'm now going pro, I think that it was just kind of always there," he said.

The Olympics are seen as the pinnacle of winter sports, but Valentino didn't have the perfect lead up. In fact, a horrific training injury just four months out from the games had the teenager off his snowboard.

Valentino had a fall in Switzerland in October and broke two bones in his left wrist.

"When I broke my arm I knew it was a wrist, and that's probably one of the best breaks you can have," he said.

"I knew it'd heal pretty quick, and I knew it shouldn't really affect me when I was at the Olympics.

"It changed my preparation a little bit, it was a lot more strength based than snowboard based.

"I knew it would be alright, and once it healed up I got back on the snowboard."

Thankfully Valentino's arm healed perfectly, and he arrived in Beijing on February 3.

"I heard a lot about China before I went there, and I didn't really know what to expect, but it was really awesome," he said.

"The halfpipe was super nice, and the atmosphere was really cool.

"We had all our own Aussie food in our building, so I was having Weetbix every morning, and that helped to make it feel like home."

He then had six days to adjust to the time zones (China is seven hours ahead of Switzerland in the summer) before his competition, including three training days.

"I had two or three days to adjust to the time zones because I was coming in from Switzerland," he said.

"During those days I was just making a few TikToks and messing around, but when training started I got into the same routine as all my other competitions.

"I had three hours for three days to prepare, and I felt comfortable (with the halfpipe) straight away.

"I thought the snow was perfect, it felt just like any other snow I've ever competed on."

Valentino's first official day of competition was February 9 when he had two qualification runs in the halfpipe.

After watching fellow Australian Scotty James land a near perfect run, Valentino unfortunately came unstuck on his first trick.

"I just reverted," he said. "I got a bit excited when I dropped in because the Olympics is a big stage and it's very easy to get overhyped.

"I went a bit faster than I probably should have, went a bit early on my trick and clipped the deck of the halfpipe.

"It's very scary when you're coming down onto the deck like that because it's very easy to get destroyed.

"I just clipped it thankfully and reverted and felt like a bit of a kook, but I hopped back around, continued the rest of my run, and it was a good second practice in the end."

Valentino said his coach took him away from the competition between runs to try to settle his nerves.

"I knew I only had one more chance, and I wanted the opportunity to showcase everything I could do on that stage," he said.

"We just stepped away from the competition for a little bit, settled my mind, stayed cool, calm, and collected, and just chilled for a bit.

"When we came back to the competition venue and it was time for me to drop for my second run, I knew exactly what I had to do.

"I'd done it consistently in training, and I knew I'd be able to land it again."

And land it he did. His second run score of 85.75 was enough for Valentino to qualify for the final in fifth position.

"I just dropped in and finished my first trick and thought 'yes', then did my second trick and thought 'yes', next trick, 'yes'," he said.

"I was really happy to put that run down with that kind of pressure. It's never a situation you want to be in, and it can be a very difficult thing to do, but I was just very happy to be at the bottom of that second run.

"I was thinking once I got down there, 'don't claim it, just ride away'. Then I saw my score, realised I'd qualified, and all the stress was gone for a second.

"Then it was on to the finals where I just wanted to put on a show."

Valentino said repetition and focus were key in his second run.

"There's things you have to make sure not to do in the halfpipe," he said. "It's very easy to pop off the wall due to fear of landing on the deck - the room for error is very small.

"I was focused on not popping off, landing high, and keeping everything smooth.

"The amount of times I did that run in practice was pretty crazy, I probably did that run 30 times before the competition, and the only time I didn't get to the bottom was that first semifinal run.

"I knew as long as I kept my mind in the right state, I knew I'd be able to put it down on one of those runs."

Valentino had to wait two days before his final on February 11, time with which he not only recovered but took the opportunity to watch some other events in Beijing.

"I went and watched some friends in the boardercross and the women's halfpipe final," he said. "I also played a lot of pool and ping pong in the meeting centre.

"I just tried to have some fun and take my mind off things, but I probably stayed up a little too long the night before the final.

"I reset and started preparing for the competition - there were lots of ice baths and hot showers and more training.

"I knew what I wanted to go and do: land my runs and put on a show."

However, a self-described "woeful" training session before the final had Valentino nervous before his first drop.

"I think I had too many weetbix that morning, and I just didn't feel very good," he said.

"I was a bit worried in practice, I don't think I landed my run once in the way I wanted to.

"I was popping off walls, I was missing the snap on tricks and just riding really badly, probably the worst I'd ridden the pipe in a long time.

"I was very worried about dropping in to my competition runs in the final because I hadn't got the reps in beforehand and I was doubting myself a little.

"My coach just said to me 'practice is gone, it didn't go as well as it could have, but it's alright', and when it was time to drop, I knew what to do."

Despite the tough practice session before the final, Valentino ended up being the only competition to have three clean runs in the field of 12.

"It all worked out on the first run, and I was so happy to have a score on the board," he said. "Once you have that score on the board, the pressure is kind of off.

"Something I really wanted to do in the Olympics was not take my foot off the gas pedal. In previous competitions I'd landed a really good run and thought I didn't have to go too hard anymore, and I've since realised how much of a mistake that can be.

"I didn't want to make that mistake again, so I upped each run - I was aiming for the gold with what my trick were.

"They were all my best tricks at the moment in the same run - I tried to go big and put on a show, and I was happy to get to the bottom of my next two runs."

Valentino said his third run, which scored 79.75, was one of the best runs in his young career.

"On my second run I did a big switch method, a cab double 10, frontside 1260, backside 900, and a frontside double cork 1080," he said. "I was supposed to do a frontside 1440, but I changed it up because I didn't have much pipe left and the run was going really well at that stage.

"On the next run I did the 1440, which I hadn't stomped too many times. When I landed it, I was really hyped in that moment.

"I wasn't really sure what to think, but I knew it was a pretty good run and to stomp one of my best runs in the Olympic final is a massive thing."

Despite the Daily Telegraph describing his third run as "underscored", Valentino said the nature of judging in the sport meant the scores could go either way.

"Sometimes it goes your way and maybe you'll get a better score than someone you thought had a better run, and sometimes it goes the other way," he said.

"That's the nature of snowboarding, but I wasn't too worried about what the judges thought of the runs, I was more worried about my own performance and having a blast."

Valentino then got to watch fellow Aussie Scotty James win a silver medal, an athlete he describes as an "inspiration".

"We did a press conference together which was pretty cool," he said.

"It was cool to see how well he speaks to the media and how comfortable he is in front of the microphones.

"It's super cool to see him doing well - he upped his result from the last Olympics to a silver, and I'm sure he'll keep going for the gold.

"He's always been an inspiration for me."

Having now completed numerous high level competitions and reaching the peaks of the X-Games and the Olympics, Valentino has had more than a few challenges thrown his way.

Despite this, he says things don't necessarily become easier, but you learn to deal with adversity.

"Every time you drop into a pipe it's scary, no matter what level you are at."

"It's about pushing that fear away and understating that it is a dangerous thing but it's also insanely rewarding," he said.

He notes that every competition is different, while at times it's easy to block out the noise there are other times where it isn't, however, it all comes back to how you adjust.

"There are a few things I like to do to get into the right mind-frame," he said.

"I have some notes on my phone with advice and notes about what to do heading into the comp to get the best result."

"Outside of those notes, I try not to use my phone too much leading up to an event because I feel my brain works better when I don't."

He expressed that the biggest thing he's learned from past competitions is to always ride with your heart.

"I feel when you are doing something with your heart, you can never really go wrong, you're in it that much that it all just seems to work," he said.

"I just want to go out there and have a good time. I think when you are having a good time, you do well, and you do well, when you are having a good time."

While Valentino was doing his thing in Beijing, Ric and Kristen were hosting a watch party at the Dalmeny brewery with a Channel 7 camera crew in tow.

"Run 1 didn't got as planned, and the next hour was excruciating," Ric said. "He landed his second run in the semis, and I wasn't nervous for him at all after that - I just wanted to see what he could do in the finals.

"The roof almost blew off the brewery after his second qualifying run - it went absolutely nuts.

"The cheering didn't stop until after the score was announced, and there were people still dancing around and celebrating."

Ric said there was a moment after his son's third run in the final where he thought Valentino would end up on the podium.

"For me, his second run was a little bit underscored, but he was smiling and happy and he still had another run," he said.

"After the third run finished, I grabbed Kristen and whispered to her 'he's on the podium, that's a medal for sure'.

"I was surprised to see the score, but I saw him accept it in the moment and smile, and I thought to myself 'OK, he's done pretty well'.

"I know how these competitions roll, I travelled with him for eight years doing this stuff, so I've seen results go in every single direction possible.

"I think he did very well, he handled himself very well, and I was so proud of him."

Mum Kristen said she was a "ball of nervous energy" on Valentino's final day.

"I woke up at 2am on the Friday, then 3am, 4am, and 5am," she said.

"I got up and went for a walk, then I grounded myself and sat on the beach for 10 minutes.

"Ric was calm on Friday, but I was a ball of nervous energy.

"I've watched the footage back, I think we hugged and Ric was jumping around after Valentino's final run, but I just turned away and had my face in my hands.

"I was pretty elated, and the relief was overwhelming, then I went straight to the bar.

"I'd kept it together well up until then, but I had one single celebratory glass of wine. The relief was overwhelming, it didn't really matter what the result was for me at that stage, just for him to be safe was enough."

Kristen mirrored Ric in saying she was proud of her son's achievements.

"I have a huge amount of pride, especially watching him compose himself and talk to the media and accept what some people have said was a questionable result," she said.

"To take all of that in his stride at 16 with that amount of humility, I was really proud of him.

"It's all been a bit surreal, you'd sit there for 20 minutes watching Channel 7 and you were almost guaranteed to see his face on the television, but it's still normal here for us.

"Here we are, nothing has changed for us, and he's still the same kid."

"It's never over until it's over"

That was the biggest lesson Valentino took away from the Olympics.

He acknowledged that self doubt is one of the biggest killers when it comes to performing in a competition as high level as the Olympic Games.

"I crashed my first run in semis, and when that happens with that much pressure on you, it's very easy to think that it's all over," he said.

"It can make your next run even harder to land because your head is already out of it."

Valentino could have buckled under the pressure of stacking his first run but instead it heightened his focus.

"I just had to remember how many times I easily landed that run in practice and to trust in my ability and I got to the bottom of the next run on my feet."

"It's never over until you get to the bottom of that last run. Don't let a little mishap phase you when you still have another opportunity to fix it," he said.

Coming off an event as big as the Olympics, Valentino got some deserved rest time back with his family in Dalmeny.

However it won't be too long until the young snowboarding sensation heads off to face his next challenge.

"The rest of the year I'm going to compete in slopestyle comps," he said.

Slopestyle is an event where athletes either ski or snowboard down a course including a variety of obstacles including rails, jumps and other terrain park features.

In this event the main points are scored from amplitude as well the originality and quality of an athletes tricks.

"I've always done slopestyle, as well as halfpipe and racing," he said.

"I just want to keep doing everything I can because at the end of the day it's all snowboarding and there's no reason I shouldn't be able to do more than one discipline."

Valentino doesn't want to pencil himself into one event and feels that pursuing a variety of disciplines will allow him to be as well-rounded as possible as a snowboarder.

In regards to what he wants to improve on, he kept it very blunt.

"Everything."

"I want to get higher, I want to get my technique flawless, I want to get my style better," he said.

"I'm going to continue to work towards bigger tricks, bigger runs and hopefully some bigger competition results."

"I just want to be able to have the most freedom as a possible to paint my own picture in the art of snowboarding."

Valentino's parents said their only regret from the Beijing Olympics was the fact they couldn't be there in person, but they're already planning the big trip to Italy in 2026.

Ric is of Italian descent, and Kristen said she expects relatives to "come out of the woodwork" during the next Olympics.

"I'm already getting targeted emails about trips to Milan," she said.

"I've already sent it to friends and family, because four years ago we were talking about going to China.

"I spoke to the people in the Olympics Winter Institute about four months ago and asked if there was any chance of going, and they said no.

"We are definitely looking forward to the Italy Olympics, and we'll probably have family coming out of the woodwork."

Ric said there wouldn't be much to stop him getting to Italy.

"Even if I had two broken legs I'd still be on that plane to Milan," he said.

"I've been to that area before, and it's awesome - winter sports are huge over in Europe, and a lot of people over there already know who Valentino is.

"Val's already kind of famous over there, and now there's a few more people in Australia who know who he is."

His parents are certainly excited, but Valentino himself is taking it one competition at a time.

"It's so far away, and so much can happen," he said.

"There's much more to snowboarding than just the Olympics, so I'll focus on upcoming events, and when the next Olympics comes around I'll focus on that and hope to win it."