Torah Bright

Torah Bright was born in Australia in 1986 as the fourth of five children by Peter and Marion Bright. Since all of the Bright children enjoyed the snow, by age two her older brother and sisters already had her on skis. By the time she was eleven, Torah had learned to snowboard and became a pro at the sport by age fourteen. Many of her siblings also have had success on the slopes, with her older sister skiing in the 2002 Winter Olympics, and her younger sister showcasing talents in snowboarding as well. Her brother Ben travels with Torah as her coach.

Bright uses a goofy stance, meaning she leads with her right foot instead of her left. Due to her success on the slopes, she has a sponsorship by the company Roxy, a fashion supplier for women. In June of this year, Torah married Jake Welch, fellow snowboarder from the United States.
They were married in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they reside for part of the year, while the other part of the year is spent back in Australia and parts of New Zealand for training, practice, and even family time with the Brights.

Torah is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and openly discusses the fact that she does not smoke, drink alcohol, tea, or coffee. She also proudly admits that she attends church each Sunday, claiming "religion is her life."

Torah Bright's Career Highlights

The year 2003 began Torah's success in the snowboarding sport worldwide. She was the runner-up for the World Cup title during this time. During the 2004-2005 season, she placed third in two different World Cup events, which qualified her for the Australian Olympic team.

She has also participated in many Winter X Games, bringing home both silver and gold medals from 2006-2009 in the Superpipe, which led her to become the first Australian snowboarder to win a gold medal at these games. She was also the Ticket to Ride Women's World Tour champion in 2007, and she won first place at the Nissan X-Trail Open in 2007 as well. In addition, Bright was the overall winner in 2007 at the Burton Global Open Series.

In 2010, Bright joined the Australian team at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. After suffering two concussions during training, she still managed to succeed and win the gold medal, leading her to become the fourth Australian to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics.