Over the summer break, while many of our students were enjoying the heat, one Kingsman, Edward Woodhouse-Bedak (Year 11), was facing temperatures markedly below zero at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, South Korea.
Selected to represent Australia as part of the biathlon team, Edward travelled to South Korea alongside 1,900 athletes from around the world for Asia’s first Youth Winter Olympic Games.
His preparation for the games, training and racing through Europe in sub-zero temperatures, could not fully prepare Edward for the extreme conditions that reached as low as -23 degrees during the 7.5km biathlon sprint.
After the race, having removed the frost-bite protection tape from his face, Edward told Australian Olympic media that the conditions placed a further mental test to the already onerous event.
“It’s really tricky to zone out the cold, especially when you’re skiing, it takes a lot of your mind,” says Edward. “It’s motivation to get to the finish line more quickly.”
His efforts are a far cry from when he commenced cross-country skiing at The King’s School, Preparatory School in Year 1, where his participation was to ensure there were enough boys to form the 3rd Division 6 team.
Having been a day boy at The King’s School since Kindergarten, Edward is looking forward to beginning his boarding journey at Bishop Barker Harris in 2024.
Congratulations to Edward on this incredible achievement.
