The Australian Two-Woman bobsleigh team of pilot Bree Walker and breakwoman Stefanie Fernandez have made their World Championship debut, finishing in 14th place in Altenberg, Germany. After four runs of competition, the team finished 5.13 seconds behind event winners Kaillie Humphries and Lauren Gibbs of the USA, with the German team of Kim Kalicki and Kira Lipperheide in second and Canadian’s Christine de Bruin and Kristen Bujnowski in third. The team finished in 15th place after the first run, and then 14th in runs two to four. Next up in action for Australia at the World Championships is 2018 Olympian Jackie Narracott, who will be competing in the skeleton event on February 28-29. IMAGE: Bree Walker and Stefanie Fernandez © Stefanie Fernandez Instagram |
Australia's leading mixed doubles curling team, Dean Hewitt and Tahli Gill, have achieved their best result of the 2019/2020 international season, claiming silver at the Sutherland Mixed Doubles Curling Classic in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. After convincing wins in the quarter final and semi final rounds, the team advanced through to the gold medal playoff, facing the team of Chaelynn Kitz and Brayden Stewart of Canada, narrowly going down six points to four. "We had a great event here in Saskatoon, Canada", Hewitt commented after the event. "There were a number of great teams including some going to the World Championships with us in April." "It was promising to see that we could put together all that we built on from our training camps and different coaches we’ve been working with over the past seven weeks." "We had three good events leading up to this one but we were always one win or just centimeters away from making the playoffs. "Reaching the final in our last event here gives us more motivation for when we head to Europe in March. We’re feeling great out there on the ice and can’t wait until Scotland." "We head home now for a little rest and build up our gym work for the next month." The next event on the schedule for Hewitt and Gill is the International Mixed Doubles competition in Dumfries, Scotland, during March 19-22. IMAGE: © Team Gill/Hewitt Instagram Australian Olympian Jackie Narracott has competed in the World Cup event in St Moritz Switzerland, the second last World Cup event of the season.
Narracott finished the skeleton event 2.57 second behind the event winner Tina Hermann of Germany, with her first run ranked 17th, and second run 13th, to give her an overall ranking of 15th out of a field size of 24. "15th yesterday, not exactly thrilled by it but I can say that my two best runs of the week were the ones that counted," Narracott commented after the race. "Looking forward to some (mostly) pressure free sliding in Altenberg as the prep for Worlds heats up." The next stop on the skeleton World Cup tour will be in Sigulda, Latvia, on February 16, the last event before the 2021 World Championships in Altenberg, Germany, on February 28-29. In other sliding sports news, two Australian bobsleigh teams competed in the Europa Cup event in Innsbruck, Austria. Bree Walker & Stephanie Fernandez finished in 10th place, with Ashleigh Werner & Mikaela Sparre in 21st place. IMAGE: © Jackie Narracott Instagram |
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INDIVIDUAL ATHLETE NEWS ARCHIVE
January 2025
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