New Zealand’s youngest Olympic medallist, Nico Porteous, has announced he is stepping away from Olympic competition to explore other opportunities within skiing. Porteous, who won bronze in the halfpipe at the 2018 Winter Olympics at just 16 and secured gold in 2022, is also a two-time Winter X Games gold medallist. Despite his achievements, he says he has lost some of his competitive drive.
In an interview with New Zealand’s The Post, Porteous explained that he has been immersed in competitive freeskiing for most of his life. He began skiing at age 10 and quickly rose to prominence, landing a 1440 triple cork by 14 and making the Olympic podium at 16. By age 20, he had already earned Olympic gold.
“Over time, priorities change,” Porteous said. “I realized I lost a bit of the competitive edge but found new passion in other aspects of skiing. I thought, ‘I’m healthy and I’ve achieved what I set out to do.’ It was a scary decision, but one I’m comfortable with now.”
Porteous was quick to clarify that he is not retiring from skiing. Instead, he is stepping away specifically from Olympic competition. He plans to continue pushing freeskiing’s boundaries through filming projects and will stay involved in product development.
He made this decision last September but kept it private until now to be certain it was the right choice. Freed from the pressure of Olympic competition, Porteous is now focusing on “other competitive events of a less rigid nature,” including Travis Rice’s Natural Selection Tour.
“I may have lost the competitive passion for the Olympics, but my love for skiing is stronger than ever,” he said. “Our sport offers many paths to build a career, and I’m excited to continue exploring the media side of skiing for as long as I can.”