 David Morris, Australian Aerial Skier and Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games Silver Medallist | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 31 August 1984 Melbourne Australia | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 171 cm (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 67 kg (148 lb; 10.6 st)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Website | www.aerialskier.com | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Country |  Australia | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Freestyle skiing | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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David John Morris (born 31 August 1984) is an Australian aerial/freestyle skier who competed in 3 Winter Olympic Games in 2010, 2014 and 2018. He is Australia's most successful male aerial skier, having competed across FIS World Cup, World Championships and Winter Olympic competitions. He is the first Australian male aerial skier to compete at two consecutive Olympic Games,[2] and the first Australian medalist in the Olympic Men's Aerials.
Morris was born in Melbourne. He has a younger brother and younger sister.[citation needed]
At about four years of age, he commenced a lifelong passion for gymnastics at the Nunawading Gymnastics and Sports Club[3] (NGSC, formally known as the Nunawading Youth Club) and he learned to ski at age three. He has demonstrated capabilities in cricket, diving and football but has always returned to gymnastics and from there to aerial skiing.
He is a qualified Mathematics and Physical Education teacher and, when he is at home between training camps and competitions, occasionally works as an emergency relief teacher at Whitefriars College, Donvale. He also coaches gymnastics, cheerleading and trampoline and is in demand as a motivational speaker.[4]
Morris released his self-published autobiography "SECOND NATURE - The Making of a Professional Athlete" in December 2014 following his Olympic silver medal performance in Sochi 2014.
Morris' talent for acrobatics and his potential to become an aerialist was originally discovered while working as a gymnastics coach at NGSC, by Kirstie Marshall, former Australian World Champion aerial skier, who was the local State Member of Parliament at the time.[citation needed]
Since Australia did not have a program for male aerial skiers, Marshall volunteered to coach him on weekends in the basics of aerial skiing and when she was expecting her second child, she enlisted the help of former Australian male aerial skier Jonathan Sweet,[5] as a personal coach until Morris was ready for private training overseas.
Morris won his first medal (a Silver) in an International Skiing Federation (FIS) race (USA selections) on 20 December 2007 in Park City and has gone on to become Australia's most successful male Aerial Skier, finishing the 2012/13 season ranked second in the World Cup standings. He has achieved a number of wins in various FIS Competitions. He was the first Australia Male Aerial Skier to win a World Cup gold medal, and in doing so he became Australia's most successful male Aerial Skier.[6] He would later go on to win a Silver Medal at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games, becoming Australia's first male aerial skier to do so.
| Competition | No. of medals | No. of times competed | Best single result | Best overall season result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIS Races | 3 | 9 | 2nd | n/a |
| NorAm | 4 | 16 | 1st (twice) | 4th (2007/08 and 2008/09) |
| Europa Cup | 3 | 6 | 2nd | 10th (2012/13) |
| World Cup | 5 | 39 | 1st | 2nd (2013/14) |
| World Championship | 1 | 4 | 3rd | n/a |
| Winter Olympics | 1 | 3 | 2nd | n/a |
Morris' performances led to his selection in the Australian Olympic Team[8] for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada, where he finished in 13th position.[9]
He was the first Australian male to compete in aerial skiing at the Winter Olympics for 12 years. During the Vancouver 2010 Games, Morris was coached by Jerry Grossi[10] who formerly competed in aerial skiing for the USA.[11]
In the 2010/11 competition season Morris injured his hip during a competition in Calgary, requiring surgery and a long recuperation.[citation needed] As a result, he stepped out of competition during 2011/12 and re-evaluated whether to continue in the sport. He used this break from the sport to complete his much deferred university course.[citation needed]
Having come to the view that he still had more to offer, Morris concentrated on regaining his fitness through gym work and recommenced competitive aerials in 2012/13. His come-back season in 2012/13 proved to be his best ever with two podium finishes, including 1st place in Bukovel, Ukraine.[12] His win was broadcast in Australia on Eurosport.[13]
Morris was selected to compete for Australia at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.[14]
Morris was one of 60 members of the Australian Winter Olympic team in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.[14] He competed in the Men's Aerial Skiing competition held on 17 February 2014, winning the silver medal.[14] He was coached by Cord Spero and Eli Budd. [15] Morris was also elected to be the flag bearer for the Australian team at closing ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games.[16]
Morris competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics where he finished 10th in the men’s aerials final.[17][18]
Apart from his sporting achievements and Olympic Silver Medal, Morris has also received various other honours and awards, including:
– 2014 Ski and Snowboard Australia Athlete of the Year, Joint winner with Torah Bright.[19]
– 2014 Sir Wilfred Kent Hughes Award: Awarded by the Victorian Olympic Council.[20]
– The award for "Senior Sportsman of the Year" at Whitefriars College in 2014 (David's high-school) has been named in his honour.
– 2013 Ski and Snowboard Australia Aerial Skiing Athlete of the Year.[21]
As at 11 September 2015, Morris is ranked 30th in the world based on FIS points.[22] At the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, he qualified[22] 3rd in the Olympic Winter Games selection rankings. Morris finished the 2013–2014 Aerial Skiing World Cup season in 6th place.[23] He has yet to compete in a subsequent World Cup season. He holds the Australian Record for the highest point score of 247.91 at the Lake Placid World Cup on 18 January 2013,[24](registration required) and the second highest point score of 242.93 at the Val Saint-Côme Freestyle skiing World Cup on 12 January 2013, for two consecutive jumps in an international competition.[25]
