'He couldn't help himself': Josie Baff reveals touching message from injured teammate Cam Bolton hours before glory

Josie Baff has revealed the massive impact teammate Cam Bolton's horror crash had on the snowboard team, and the touching message he sent from his hospital bed hours before she became Australia's newest Olympic champion.

Bolton was forced to pull out of Milano Cortina 2026 after he broke his neck in two places in a horror training crash earlier in the week.

Baff said while injuries and crashes were a part of the sport, the seriousness of Bolton's injuries and his subsequent absence from the camp had rattled the team.

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"It definitely feels like a part of the team is missing - Cam is such a big part of the team, and he offers a lot of insight. He's been around boarder cross for a very long time," she said on the Nine desk.

"Even last night, he couldn't help himself. He was sending me messages: 'Go here, go here, go here', and I was like, 'OK, I have a good plan, I appreciate your advice, this is what I'm going to do'.

"Then he said, 'Good luck, I know you have what it takes to win. You can seriously win this'.

"It meant a lot. I know (his crash) did rattle the team, because it's not just like a broken arm - it's quite a serious injury, so I'm wishing him all the best."

Watch the Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now. Plus, every event live & on demand, every medal in 4K, and exclusive international coverage on Stan Sport.

In a video message recorded after the win, Bolton said he had been in "constant tears" and a "blubbering mess" having watched on TV.

"I'm just so incredibly proud of you. I can't believe how much hard work you've put in over the years, and being able to see that has been a real pleasure," he said.

"I've been able to see you develop from five years ago, the little girl in the pink helmet, to now an absolute monster in a pink helmet. Here you are as a world beater and now an Olympic champion.

"Jojo, I'm just so proud of you, and I wish I could have been there to share your big moment. What an incredible day … I just can't wait to give you a big hug, and I'm sure I'll get the chance soon enough."

Bolton also congratulated her on "one-upping" her boyfriend, Canadian snowboarder Eliot Grondin, who won silver in the men's event a day earlier.

Baff's father, Peter, who coached Alex "Chumpy" Pullin, once declared "the ability to enjoy what you do for the right reasons is what it takes to be a snowboard cross athlete, because you want to be there and you still love it, and you've got to think about (how) you loved your first snowboard cross run".

Josie, 23, said it was a motto she has carried since her first snowboard cross race at 16.

"I really love to learn, and I love to get better at things … I feel like in boarder cross, there're so many different elements you can work on, and there's always something," she said.

"If it's not physical or tactical, it's mental. There's always something to learn, and I see that progression all the time, which I find super addictive.

"I always look back on it like my first proper race, and a girl came in on the inside of me in a turn. I remember just thinking, 'Wow, that is so cool. I want to be able to do that one day'.

"I wasn't really even annoyed that I'd come second, because I was so in awe of the situation.

"It's something that I still remind myself of today - I really, truly do just love snowboard cross."