Bilous focused for podium
Ever since he was six, Kiwi slopestyle skier Finn Bilous has been waiting for the moment he could wear the silver fern at a Winter Olympic Games.
The 18-year-old Wanaka local has grown up on the slopes and next Sunday will compete in the slopestyle ski event in the hope of getting New Zealand’s second-ever medal at a Winter Olympics.
He only finished secondary school in November, but has taken this year off to focus solely on skiing, and thinks it will pay dividends.
‘‘In my mind, if I’m able to land the competition runs I’ve got the games, I’ve really been focusing on training the tricks that I want to land in my Olympic competition runs.
‘‘I’ve also just been trying to ski as much as I can in order to feel super comfortable on my skis come February.
‘‘Since I was about six-years-old I was obsessed with the idea of becoming a professional skier. I’ve always really loved skiing and when I saw the lifestyle that all the pros were living, it just looked so fun and it really appealed to me, so I decided I was going to try everything I could in order to make it to their level.’’
With slopestyle being down to the individual judges on the day, Bilous knows there is an element of luck in him gaining a podium finish, but he believes he has got the preparation right. He isn’t daunted by the importance of the Winter Olympics, as he has competed against elite-class skiers on the world circuit.
Aside from snow sports, Bilous is keen on surfing, mountain biking, running and trampolining. He competed in the Queenstown halfmarathon in 2016, finishing second in the 16-19 years’ division.
He was the winner of the 2016 Snow Sports NZ Breakthrough Season Award and was named as one of four finalists for the Emerging Talent Awards at the 54th Halberg Awards.