Torah Bright facts for kids
Bright modelling in the 2013 The Heart Truth show in New York City
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| Full name | Torah Jane Bright | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 27 December 1986 Cooma, New South Wales |
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| Height | 5 ft 4 in | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country |  Australia |
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| Sport | Snowboarding | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Ben Bright | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Torah Jane Bright is an amazing Australian snowboarder who used to compete professionally. She is known as Australia's most successful Winter Olympian, meaning she won more medals at the Winter Olympics than any other Australian.
Torah has won many awards, including:
- An Olympic gold medal and a silver medal
- Two X Games gold medals
- Three US Open titles
- Two Global Open Champion titles
- Three World Superpipe Champion titles
- A TTR World Champion title
- The Best Female Action Sports Athlete at the ESPY awards
In 2014, Torah made history by being the first Olympic athlete to qualify for all three main snowboarding events: halfpipe, slopestyle, and boarder-cross. She officially stopped competing in January 2020.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Torah Bright was born in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, on December 27, 1986. She is the fourth of five children born to Peter and Marion Bright. Her parents chose the name "Torah" because her older sister, Rowena, learned it meant "bearer of a great spiritual message."
Torah grew up in Cooma, a town at the base of the Snowy Mountains. She first started out as a downhill ski racer.
Her brother, Ben Bright, is also a professional snowboarder and was her coach. Her older sister, Rowena, competed in alpine skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Snowboarding Career Highlights
Torah Bright snowboards with a "goofy stance," which means her right foot is forward on the board.
Early Competitions
In 2005, Torah finished 30th at the World Championships in Whistler, Canada. She was also the runner-up for the World Cup title during the 2003–04 season.
In 2004–05, she competed in three World Cup events in Bardonecchia, Italy. She placed third in both events, which helped her qualify for the Australian Olympic team.
X Games Success
In 2006, Torah won a silver medal at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado. The next year, she won the gold medal in the women's superpipe event. She was the first Australian snowboarder to ever win gold at the Winter X Games (11). She beat other Olympic medalists like Gretchen Bleiler and Hannah Teter.
In 2007, Torah also won first place at the Nissan X-Trail Nippon Open in the women's halfpipe. This gave her two wins in a row. She also won first place at the 2007 World Super Pipe Championships in Park City, Utah, beating 2002 Olympic gold medalist Kelly Clark.
Later in 2007, she placed on the podium in both events at the Roxy Chicken Jam. This was the final event in the TTR (Ticket to Ride) Snowboard Tour, where she became the 2007 TTR world champion.
Olympic Achievements
At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Torah was chosen to carry the flag for Australia during the opening ceremonies. She qualified for the top spot in the women's halfpipe final, even though she had two concussions during training.
In the final, she fell on her first run. But she was the first to take a second run and scored 45.0 points. This score remained the highest through everyone's second runs. Torah became the fourth Australian to win a Winter Olympics gold medal.
In 2013, at the Winter X Games XVII in Aspen, Colorado, Torah finished fourth in the superpipe.
At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Torah made history by entering three events: slopestyle, halfpipe, and boarder-cross. She finished 7th in the first-ever women's slopestyle final. She then won a silver medal in the women's halfpipe with a score of 91.50. This was Australia's first medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics. This medal also made Torah Australia's most successful female Winter Olympics athlete, passing Alisa Camplin.
Later Career and Retirement
After the 2014 Olympics, Torah rarely competed. She suffered a wrist fracture before the 2018 Winter Olympics. She officially announced her retirement from competitive snowboarding in January 2020.
In 2020, Torah appeared in a documentary film called Out of Bounds. In the film, she snowboarded in some of the most extreme places on Earth. She said the journey made her feel very inspired by nature and people.
Sponsorships and Design Work
Torah Bright has a lifelong sponsorship with Rhythm Snowsports, a company in her hometown of Cooma. She also has a full sponsorship with Roxy, a brand that makes gear for action sports.
For the 2008–09 season, she helped design a new part of Roxy's women's line called the "Bright Series." This series included her own snowboard, the Roxy Eminence. Her other sponsors have included Subway and Boost Mobile.
Personal Life
Torah Bright is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
She was married to American pro snowboarder Jake Welch from 2010 to 2013.
In September 2015, Torah married snowboarder Angus Thomson. They have two sons, who were born in July 2020 and May 2023.
See also
In Spanish: Torah Bright para niños
