Malherbe Makes Team SA Winter Olympics History

Picture Credit @TeamSA

Malica Malherbe made history as the first Team SA athlete to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, finishing 25th in the women’s moguls freestyle skiing qualification on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old is one of five South African athletes competing at these Games and will get a second opportunity to advance when the second round of qualification takes place on Wednesday. To progress to Final 2, she will need to secure a top-10 finish.

Malherbe completed her Olympic run in 30.39 seconds, earning a total score of 55.85 points, made up of 12.27 time points, an air score of 8.38, and a turns score of 35.2 on the 245m course with a 28-degree gradient.

Team SA’s five-member squad marks the country’s largest delegation ever at a Winter Olympics, surpassing the four athletes who competed at the 1960 Games in Squaw Valley, USA.

The team includes teenagers Thomas Weir (17) and Lara Markthaler (18), alongside Malherbe, Nicole Burger (31) and Matthew Smith (35).

Milano Cortina is Malherbe’s Olympic debut, adding to her growing international résumé that includes a 27th-place finish at the 2025 World Championships, a World Cup career-best of 18th, and a 12th-place finish at the Junior World Championships.