John Eales, a name synonymous with Australian rugby greatness, has expressed his profound admiration for freestyle skier Cooper Woods, who recently achieved an astonishing Olympic gold medal in moguls. Eales, a legend of the Wallabies and widely considered the greatest player of all time, understands the unique pressures of elite individual performance, even if his domain is the oval ball rather than the snow-covered slopes.
Woods, a 25-year-old from the coastal town of Pambula, New South Wales, secured an unexpected Olympic triumph, defying expectations to claim the top prize. Eales, who has served as a mentor to Woods since 2022 through a Sport Australia Hall of Fame scholarship, was captivated by the young athlete’s performance.
“There’s nowhere to hide, is there,” Eales remarked to Wide World of Sports, reflecting on the unforgiving nature of individual sports. “In a team sport, you can have an average game and still be on the winning side, receiving accolades. But in an individual sport, if you’re having a bad day, you have to own it. That demands a different calibre of toughness, something Cooper clearly possesses.”
While Eales readily admits to knowing “zero” about the intricacies of moguls skiing, he possesses an unparalleled understanding of leadership and performing under immense pressure. His own career was punctuated by moments of extraordinary composure, none more iconic than his last-minute penalty kick in Wellington in 2000, which clinched the Bledisloe Cup against the All Blacks – a kick Woods was born a month after.
Woods has developed a pre-run routine, a three-step ‘reset’ process at the start gate, designed to cultivate a calm and confident mindset. This technique bears a striking resemblance to the mental preparation Eales employed before taking crucial penalty kicks.
“It’s definitely been overblown what I’ve been able to do with him,” Eales stated modestly. “But he’s a wonderful, wonderful young man. I was just so proud of what he was able to achieve – and excited for him.”
Eales was watching Woods’ triumph from a hotel in Saint Anton, Austria, a testament to the geographical reach of their mentor-mentee relationship. He recalled Woods’ proactive engagement from the outset.
“He was one of those really enthusiastic guys, right from the start. The good thing about Cooper, he’s very proactive, was reaching out all the time,” Eales remembered. “Someone who was just so interested to learn and to listen. It’s a great thing. Mentoring is a great thing, but the role someone like myself plays is so small compared to the role the coach plays.”
Eales elaborated on the value of external perspectives in elite sport. “But I know when I was playing, you’re always looking for little extra points from people outside your circle, and it just augments the main work that the people in your circle are doing. It was lovely to spend a bit of time with him, but I’ve got to honestly say it’s a very small part of what he’s been doing.”
A particularly heartwarming aspect for Eales was the presence of Woods’ aunt, AAP journalist Melissa Woods, who was on the ground in Italy, not only witnessing the historic win but also reporting on it.
“I’m just so happy for him. He has proven himself to be a great athlete, but he’s just a good person,” the 55-year-old commented. “He has worked through difficulties, injuries, and he is the same person through all of that. To come through and perform in the pivotal moment, in such a great way – that’s what everyone strives to do as an athlete. He’s done it at the very top level.”
Remarkably, Woods had never won a World Cup event prior to his Olympic success and had initially failed to qualify for the final in the top 10. This underscores his resilience and fighting spirit.
“He’s always been someone that never stops fighting for his opportunity,” Eales observed. “That’s one of the things I noticed early – it didn’t matter how he went. As an athlete, there’ll be waves of confidence and less confidence. But what you want through those different waves is to have the same effort and application.”
“He has been able to do that and that’s what gets you through those tougher times. Moguls can be a sport where the fickle finger of fate can go against you in different ways, and sometimes you’ve just got to take your medicine. Sport can be like that, it can be a cruel master.”
In a dramatic turn of events, the reigning Olympic champion and Canadian legend, Mikael Kingsbury, posted the same score as Woods in the final. However, the Australian underdog secured the gold medal due to a superior score on the turns.
“Just so, so happy for him and his family as well,” Eales concluded. “As a parent, you get so much joy when your kids do well at anything, and it doesn’t matter what it is, or at what level. It gives me a bit more perception of how my parents would have experienced our success back in our day as well. So happy.”
