Baff (23) put in a composed performance throughout the knockout rounds. Seeded 17th after the morning session, she narrowly qualified from the quarterfinals via photo finish before rocketing from third to first in the semifinals.
In the main final, the Australian overtook Switzerland's Noemie Wiedmer and held off a late charge from Czech Republic's Eva Adamczykova to claim victory.
Adamczykova won silver, her third Olympic medal in the event, after winning gold at Sochi 2014 and bronze at PyeongChang 2018. Italy's Michela Moioli took bronze.
"Once I made it to the main final, I was confident I could win it," Baff said. "Regardless of my starting position, I was confident I could overtake."
Australian athlete Baff (bottom) and Eva Adamczykova of the Czech Republic compete in the women's snowboard cross final at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Friday, Feb. 13.
Meanwhile, two Chinese athletes, Yongqinglamu and Pang Chuyuan, who were making their Olympic debut, were eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage after finishing fourth in their respective heats.
Despite their early exit, their performance was significant. China will participate in the event through the host quota at Beijing 2022.
This time, two Chinese skiers secured Olympic berths by finishing in the top 30 of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) qualifying standings, marking the country's first qualification for the event purely on merit under the international points system.
"This is my first real Olympic race. I just want to finish safely and without any regrets," said Yongqinglamu, who had qualified for Beijing 2022 but suffered an injury during pre-Olympic training and was unable to compete.
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