For the first time, two Australian sliders have finished the World Cup Skeleton season ranked in the world’s top ten.

Lucy Chaffer, who finished fifth in the final round at Calgary today, ended the eight-race series ranked seventh, with Emma Lincoln-Smith ranked ninth.

In a break-out season for the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) athletes, both Lincoln-Smith and Chaffer finished second in a World Cup event this season, and on three occasions both sliders finished in the top 10 at the same meeting.

Sliding on the 1.4 kilometre track in Calgary in perfect conditions, Chaffer, from Western Australia, finished the season on a high, taking fifth place just a week after her best ever result, a silver medal at Whistler.

Chaffer was the big improver in 2012, after finishing last season ranked 18th in the world.

"I was a bit worried going into this race," Chaffer said. "I was not training as well as I would have liked to, so was hoping I could put it together on race day.

"Luckily the knowledge and time on the track I have had in the pre-season and seasons past came back and helped me out. I was happy with the result as it is my best result on this track, however there is still things to fix when I come back next year.

"Overall, I am happy with the World Cup season. I think the pre-season training we did really helped me in many situations this year. I felt comfortable this year and really tried to focus on the sliding.

"I'm looking forward to building from this season onto next season and improving again."

Sydney's Emma Lincoln-Smith won a silver medal at the opening event of the season in Austria, and was in the top 10 of the overall standings for the whole season.

Despite her form tapering off late in her World Cup campaign, her 14th place in the final round saw her hang on to her top 10 ranking.

Australian team coach, Eric Bernotas, was happy with the performance of both athletes this season, and is looking ahead to next week's World Championship in Lake Placid, USA.

"The season has provided many opportunities to learn and grow," Bernotas said. "There have been a variety of situations to build on as we come together and develop as a team.

"Success has been achieved from shining moments and challenging ones. Importantly, we feel strongly about heading into the World Championships in Lake Placid next week with the foundation we are standing on."

Fresh from her most recent success, Chaffer is also looking for a good performance in the World Championships.

"I am optimistic for the World Championships this season," she said. "Lake Placid has been a track that I have had difficulty on in the past, but I am hoping that this year it will be different and I can continue to improve."

The final World Cup event of the season was won by the Junior World Cup winner, Elizabeth Yarnold from Great Britain, while her countrywoman, Shelley Rudman, won the World Cup title after finishing in second place for the previous three seasons.

Results, World Cup Rnd 8, Calgary, Canada

1. Elizabeth Yarnold, GB
2. Anja Huber, GER, +0.54s
=3. Shelley Rudman, GB, +0.64s
=3. Amy Gough, CAN, +0.64s
=5. Lucy Chaffer, AUS, +0.77s
=5. Melissa Hollingsworth, CAN, +0.77s

Final World Cup standings:

1. Shelley Rudman, GBR, 1507 points
2. Marion Thees, GER, 1458
3. Anja Huber, GER, 1443,
4. Melissa Hollingsworth, CAN, 1434
5. Katharina Heinz, GER, 1332

7. Lucy Chaffer, AUS, 1138
9. Emma Lincoln-Smith, AUS, 1114