Bree Walker has claimed her third medal of the northern hemisphere winter, taking bronze in the final monobob event of the season in Königssee, Germany.

The podium performance moves the QAS athlete into second place on IBSF end of year rankings in the new Olympic sport which will make it's debut in Beijing 2022. 

Walker finished just 0.54 seconds behind Swiss sliders Melanie Hasler and Martina Fontanive who tied for first place.
 
"This season we set our standards high, despite there being a global pandemic and this resulted in our biggest and best season by far" Walker commented.

"Medals and top ten finishes against the most competitive fields the sport has seen in many years, so we are very proud of what we have been able to achieve for Australia."

"Hopes are that we can just go from strength to strength as a team.

"This will require a lot of hard work and dedication to our sport and finding sponsors to help us go even faster (we are going to need the support that’s for sure) but this season has really motivated us and we are going to put everything we have into this Olympic year."

Walker had planned to finish her two woman bobsleigh season at the final event of the World Cup season in Konigsee, but the event was cancelled due to a track temperature equipment malfunction.

With the season now finished, Walker will now return back to Australia.

IMAGE: Bree Walker celebrates with her third place trophy in Königssee © Bree Walker Instagram

QAS athlete Bree Walker has had a difficult week at the IBSF World Championships in Alttenberg, Germany, unable to finish in the monobob experiencing mechanical failure & rolling her Bobsled in the third heat.

The Altenberg track is notoriously unforgiving and rated as one of the most challenging on the global circuit. True to form it proved treacherous for a number of competitors in this years World Championships. 

At World Championship and Olympic sliding events, four heats take place to decided the winner, and after the first two heats on day one Walker was in 15th place, 2.11 seconds behind first place.

Racing in the third heat on the second day of competition, Walker had a great start recording the third fastest start time and was set for an improved run before her sled toppled over towards the end of the course. After sliding upside down for a section of the track, the sled did recover and Walker was able to complete her run ranked 18th overall after three heats.

After the incident in the previous run, Walker was forced to withdraw from the fourth and final heat due to mechanical breakage of her sled.

Walker will now compete in the final monobob world series event next weekend in Konigssee, Germany, on February 20.

IMAGE: Bree Walker in the start gate at Altenberg © IBSF TV

The two-woman Bobsleigh team of QAS pilot Bree Walker and breakwoman Sarah Blizzard have been unable to compete in the opening event of the IBSF World Championships in Altenberg, Germany, after two crashes in training.

Walker posted on social medial the decision to withdraw from the two-woman event.

"I’m never one to give up, I always find a way to make it happen. Our team is always the ones that get back up, get back in and goes again. But as I have grown as an athlete I have also learnt when pushing through could do more harm then good.
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"In preparation for the 2021 World Championship in Altenberg, Sarah and I had two rough crashes that left us feeling pretty beat up.

"This track demands respect and with not having a spare teammate and the way we were feeling we had to weigh up whether competing this weekend would bring us the results we knew we were capable of.
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"So it is with a heavy heart, we have decided not to race in the two-man event this weekend. We had to think about our own health as we still have a lot that we want to achieve in the next year leading towards the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Good luck to everyone who is competing this weekend and we will see you back next week for the Monobob event."
 
Walker will be back in action competing in the Monobob event at the World Championships later this week on February 13-14.

Walker is the equal world number one in Monobob after the last event in Austria, and the QAS athlete will be back in action competing at the World Championships in that event later this week on February 13-14.
 
IMAGE: Bree Walker and Sarah Blizzard in Winterberg earlier in the season © IBSF / Viesturs Lacis