QAS bobsleigh pilot Bree Walker came agonizingly close to back-to-back podium finishes to start the season, overcoming a lower back injury to secure fourth place at the IBSF World Cup on the Igls track in Innsbruck, Austria.

Walker opened the event in spectacular fashion, posting the fastest time of the first run with 56.01 seconds. However, during the initial push, she sustained a back injury that hampered her performance in the second heat. Despite her best efforts, Walker recorded the 11th fastest time of the round (56.34 seconds), bringing her two-run total to 1:52.35—just 0.02 seconds shy of third place.
 
Victory went to American Kaysha Love, finishing 0.33 seconds ahead of Walker, with Germany’s Laura Nolte in second and Lisa Buckwitz in third.
 
“I was very proud of the first run push and drive,” said the 2022 Olympian from Queensland.

“In the second heat I unfortunately hurt my lower back in the first push, so I couldn’t quite push to the intensity I wanted. This track is a push track, so if you don’t have a strong start, there’s not much you can do to make up for it.

“I’m happy to walk away with fourth considering the situation, and I’m taking away the positives—the first heat was very positive.”
 
In the two-woman event, Walker was joined by brakewoman Kiara Reddingius, but Walker was still impacted by the injury from the previous days which limited the push at the start and the pair finished in 18th place.
 
The next World Cup event is in Lillehammer, Norway, on December 13-14, the site of Walker’s double gold World Cup victories last season.

Australian bobsleigh star Bree Walker has kicked off the 2025–2026 IBSF World Cup season in style, securing a bronze medal on the newly rebuilt Olympic track in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, the venue for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
 
The medal performance is the 13th career World Cup podium for QAS bobsleigh pilot Walker, giving the 2022 Olympian great confidence ahead of February’s Olympic showdown.
 
The historic Cortina track, which staged the 1956 Olympics, last welcomed a World Cup in 2008. For years, uncertainty surrounded its future, but a rapid redevelopment, finished in just 300 days, has brought the venue back to life just in time for an official International Training Period in mid-November and opening World Cup of the season.
 
Walker opened the competition with a strong first run of 59.85 seconds, placing fifth in a tightly packed field where the top six athletes were separated by just 0.17 seconds. In the decisive second heat, Walker delivered under pressure with the second-fastest time of the final run (59.78), bringing her a two-run combined time of 1:59.63.
 
The battle for silver came down to mere fractions, with Walker finishing 0.01 seconds behind Kaysha Love of the USA. Germany’s Laura Nolte claimed gold, edging Walker by 0.16 seconds.
 
“My coach always says any day I finish on the podium is a good day, so very happy to finish third here for the first race of the season” said the 33-year-old from Queensland.
 
“I love the track here in Cortina, it’s really fun, a few technical corners especially at the top, and then it has a lovely flow down to the bottom, I am really enjoying driving here.
 
“My runs weren’t perfect, I am excited to come back here in February and be able to fix them up and see what happens on the other side.
 
Also in action for Australia was fellow QAS bobsleigh pilot Sarah Blizzard in 23rd place.

In the two-woman event, Walker was joined by another QAS scholar, brakewoman Kiara Reddingius, with the duo finishing in 18th place.
 
Sarah Blizzard was joined by brakewoman Desi Johnson in her World Cup debut, to register 23rd in the two woman sled.
 
The IBSF World Cup tour now moves to Innsbruck, Austria, where the monobob competition is scheduled for November 29, followed by the two-woman event on November 30.

Australian bobsleigh star Bree Walker has completed a ten-day training block on the newly rebuilt Eugenio Monti Sliding Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, the venue for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games sliding events.
 
The historic Cortina track, which staged the 1956 Olympics, last welcomed a World Cup in 2008. For years, uncertainty surrounded its future, but a rapid redevelopment, finished in just 300 days, has brought the venue back to life. Recently homologated by the IBSF and FIL, the track opened for the first time for official Bobsleigh and Skeleton sliding during the International Training Period (ITP) from 7–16 November.
 
Athletes had their first runs on the 1,730-metre course, featuring 16 curves and speeds exceeding 140 km/h. Its technical upper section, flowing rhythm have already drawn praise from competitors.
 
“It’s been super special,” Walker said. “We originally thought that we weren’t going to have a track here in Cortina, so being here these past two weeks has been really exciting for many reasons.”
 
“I love learning new tracks from scratch. It’s such a challenge in the beginning, but when you start to get it, it’s really rewarding.”
 
“The track is really fun! It has a great flow to it. It’s not tricky to get down, but it’s still going to be good fun racing.”
 
“Our preparation is going well. We have worked really hard to learn the track as best as we can for now and I think we have done a great job considering it’s just my coach Pierre and I. So we go into this World Cup week feeling good and ready.”
 
The IBSF World Cup opener returns to Cortina this weekend for the first time in 17 years. Walker will line up in:

• Women’s Monobob on 22 November.
• Two-Woman Bobsleigh with brakewoman Kiara Reddingius on 23 November.

Sarah Blizzard also took part in the ITP, and will compete in both World Cup events in Cortina, teaming up with either Desi Johnson or Ashleigh Werner as her brakewoman for the two-woman.
 
This event marks the start of the final two months of Olympic qualification, which concludes on January 18, 2026.

2022 Olympians Bree Walker and Kiarra Reddingius have finished their competition season placing 13th in the two-woman event at the 2025 IBSF World Championships in Lake, Placid, USA.
 
Walker was impacted by illness for the entire event, the QAS pilot was ninth in monobob during the previous week. Both the two woman and monobob competitions were four-run combined time major championship format over two days.
 
The pair were 14th fastest in run one, two and three, and in the fourth and final run improved to the 11th best time of the round, posting a four-run combined time of 3:50.75 seconds.
 
The event winner 4.75 seconds ahead of Walker and Reddingius and leading a German clean sweep were Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi, their teammates Kim Kalicki and Leonie Fiebig were second and Lisa Buckwitz and Kira Lipperheide third.
 
Australia also competed in the four-man bobsleigh, with pilot Rhys Peters joined by Jermayne Takapautolo, Jack Pennington and Benjamin Forst.
 
Unfortunately in the first run they crashed just after the halfway point, sliding the remainder of the track to the finish line in 24th.
 
The Australian sled did complete the run, so they were eligible for a second run, but it was cancelled due to warm conditions. They did not make the result cut for runs three and four.

2022 Olympian has battled illness to finish in the top-10 in the monobob at the World Championships in Lake Placid, NY, USA, finishing in ninth place.
 
Competing in the four-run combined time major championship format over two days, the QAS bobsleigh pilot was 11th fastest  in run one, seventh in run two, 10th in run three and ninth in the final run to finish in a total time of 3:59.58.
 
The event winner 1.76 seconds ahead of Walker on her home track was Kaysha Love of the USA, Laura Nolte of Germany was second and another American, Elana Meyers-Taylor was third.
 
Walker still holds the track record for Lake Placid set 12 months ago, with no athletes able to improve on the time which saw changing weather conditions throughout the two days of competition.
 
A heartbroken Walker commented after the race.
 
“Certainly not the race I had prepared or planned for all season.
 
“I got extremely sick with a viral infection a day or so out from the race. I thought I would be able to still challenge for what I worked so hard for, but my starts were unfortunately so weak which left me on the back foot from the get-go!
 
“I gave it everything I had and that’s all I could do with the cards I was dealt! Heartbroken but it is what it is.”
 
Walker will now focus on the two-woman World Championship event in Lake Placid alongside brakewoman Kiara Reddingius on March 15 and 16.
 
Others in action in Lake Placid competing for Australia included Nicholas Timmings 20th in the men’s skeleton event and in the two-man bobsleigh, Rhys Peters and Benjamin Frost were 27th & Cam Scott and Patrick Castelli 28th.

Bree Walker has finished the monobob World Cup season in spectacular fashion, winning back-to-back races on the Lillehammer track over the past seven days, and earning her a second place ranking on the final IBSF Monobob World Cup standings for the second consecutive year.
 
The QAS bobsleigh pilot made an impressive start on the 1994 Olympic track in Norway, setting the second fastest push time. This speed at the top together and her driving skills combined to set a new track record, winning the first run in 54.01 seconds, 0.09 second ahead of Canadian Cynthia Appiah.
 
In the final run with the track slowing down, Walker had the last run of the event and was able to maintain her lead with the fourth fastest time in 54.56 seconds, and a combined time of 1:48.51, in first place ahead of Appiah by 0.15, and German Lisa Buckwitz 0.16 behind in third place.
 
The 2022 Olympian now has three World Cup monobob victories and 13 career podiums.
 
“Super happy to go back-to-back here in Lillehammer” said the 32-year-old from Queensland.
 
“It’s a really fun track, I enjoy driving it and so today it was about going out there and executing two clean runs and stoked to come away with the win again.
 
“Feels so great to secure the second place Crystal Globe again, a big goal was to win a crystal globe again, so really happy that my consistency throughout the year has paid off.”
 
Also in action for Australia was fellow Queenslander Sarah Blizzard in 15th place.
 
On the final World Cup standings, Walker is ranked second in the world for the second straight year on 1596 points, trailing Buckwitz by 41, who again won the title. Third on the standings was another German, Laura Nolte on 1555. Sarah Blizzard finished 21st on 523 points.
 
In the two-woman competition, Sarah Blizzard and brakewoman Ashley Werner finished in a personal best finish of 13th. Walker and her brakewoman Kiara Reddingius elected to skip the final two-woman race.
 
The bobsleigh world will now travel to the USA for the mid-March World Championships in Lake Placid, New York. The monobob competition is on March 8-9, and the two-woman event scheduled for March 15-16.

QAS bobsleigh pilot Bree Walker has secured her first World Cup victory of the season and second of her career, with an impressive win in Lillehammer, Norway, sharing the gold medal with American Kaysha Love in a dead heat, the first tie in monobob World Cup history.
 
Walker opened with a time of 54.56 seconds in the first heat, recording the second fastest time of the round, trailing 2022 Olympic champion Laura Nolte of Germany by only 0.01 seconds.
 
In the final run, Walker again posted the second fastest time in 54.58 seconds, giving her a combined time of 1:49.14, to equal American Kaysha Love. Nolte, the last competitor down the 1994 Olympic track, was unable to surpass Walker and Love, slipping 0.07 seconds behind in third place.
 
The 2022 Olympian now has 11 career monobob World Cup podiums.
 
“Really happy to be able to secure my first win of the season after being so close a few times” said the 32-year-old from Queensland.
 
“I really love sliding here, I was feeling really good coming into this race, but I knew it would be a very competitive race as always, so I just went out there and focused on pushing really fast and driving well and was able to come away with the win so very happy with that.”
 
“Lillehammer is a special place for me, I came away with my first career bobsleigh medals in European Cup races in the 2018-2019 season, and to also secure my second World Cup medal on this track after a silver last season, I really love the track and I enjoy sliding here.
 
“We are going into tomorrow’s two-woman race with the same expectations I had today, to push hard and put down two consistent drives, and see what the results are on the other side.”
 
Fellow QAS pilot Sarah Blizzard finished in 22nd place.
 
The win sees Walker move back into second place on the monobob World Cup standings on 1371 points, trailing Lisa Buckwitz of Germany on 1437 points, with Nolte third on 1371.
 
Crash for Walker & Reddingius in two-woman
 
In the two-woman event, unfortunately 2022 Olympians Bree Walker and brakewoman Kiara Reddingius suffer a bad crash near the end of the track, sliding the last section to the finish line on their side.

The Australia number one sled was fifth fastest off the start and was placed top 10 by the intermediate times just before crashing on the lower track. 
 
The fall resulted in the pair finishing in 21st place and missing the top-20 cut for the second run.
 
Sarah Blizzard and Ashley Werner were also in action for Australia finishing in 20th.
 
The final monobob and two-woman World Cup race of the season is scheduled on the same track in Norway next weekend on February 15-16.

QAS bobsleigh pilot Bree Walker has claimed her third World Cup podium result of the season and tenth of her career, with a silver medal performance in the monobob World Cup event on the iconic hand cut ice St Moritz track in Switzerland.
 
In the first of two World Cup events in St Moritz, the 2022 Olympian made the perfect start, having the second fastest opening run time of 1:11.28 seconds.
 
Walker then went faster in the final run, breaking the track record in a time of 1:10.48 seconds to put her in first place with one competitor left. Her combined two run time was 2:21.76 seconds.
 
First run leader Elana Meyers Taylor from America then broke Walker’s record in the last run of the day to take victory in a combined time of 2:21.52, 0.24 seconds ahead of Walker. Rounding out the podium in third was another USA athlete, Kaysha Love, a further 0.31 seconds behind Walker.
 
“Super happy with my runs today, it’s really come along the last few weeks” said the 32-year-old from Queensland.
 
“This track has been a bit of a challenge for me in the past, but my coach Pierre Lueders has taught me all his ways over the past few years, and I am just so stoked with the result today. The goal was to drive the best that I can, and it’s paid off, so I am really happy with how I executed.
 
“Plan for tomorrow is to go again and do the same, tidy up a few little things that I noticed today, and then gear up for the two-woman with brakewoman Kiara Reddingius on Sunday.”
 
“I am so grateful to have so much support from all around the world, so thankyou to our supporters and sponsors for everything you have done for us.
 
St Moritz Monobob Day Two
 
In the second monobob World Cup, Walker finished in eighth place, in a two-run time of 2:22.83 seconds, 0.68 behind back-to-back winner in St Moritz Elana Meyers Taylor of the USA.
 
Sarah Blizzard also competed in St Mortiz, the QAS pilot was in 24th place on day one and improved to finish 21st on day two.
 
After six events Walker is third on the monobob World Cup standings on 1146 points, trailing German’s Lisa Buckwitz on 1253 and Laura Nolte 1171.
 
A two-woman World Cup event was also scheduled to take place in St Moritz, but was cancelled due to warm weather, after temperatures did not reach the necessary below zero margin overnight for the natural ice track to freeze.

QAS bobsleigh pilot has finished in fourth place in the World Cup monobob event on the Igls track at Innsbruck, Austria, missing the podium by just 0.18 seconds.
 
The 2022 Olympian had the third fastest opening run in 54.27 seconds, and in the second run had the fourth best time in 54.42.
 
Her two-tun combined time was 1:48.69, putting Walker 0.28 seconds behind event winner Lisa Buckwitz of Germany, American Kaysha Love was second and German Laura Nolte third.
 
Fellow QAS pilot Sarah Blizzard finished 23rd.
 
After four monobob World Cup events this season, Walker is ranked third on the standings, and Blizzard is in 17th.
 
A two-woman event also took place in Innsbruck, with Walker teaming up with brakewoman Kiara Reddingius, finishing in 11th place. Sarah Blizzard and brakewoman Ashleigh Werner were 21st.
 
Germany clean swept the two-woman podium with Laura Nolte/Deborah Levi first, Kim Kalicki/Leonie Fiebig second, and Lisa Buckwitz/Neele Schuten third.
 
After the race Walker commented.
 
“Always love sliding in Igls, very tight racing and no room for errors which makes for an exciting weekend.”
 
“Of course I would have loved to finish on the podium in the monobob, but it didn’t quite come together in the last run so had to settle for fourth.
 
“The two-man didn’t really come together either. Still learning our new sled and trying new things. Sometimes it pays off and sometimes you learn, so we will take the learnings and apply it for the coming races.”
 
The IBSF tour is returning back to St Moritz, Switzerland, for a second time in as many weeks, with three events taking place on the historic handcut ice Cresta Run. The first monobob race will run on January 24, a second monobob on January 25 and the two-woman on January 26.

2022 Olympians Bree Walker and Kiarra Reddingius have finished in eighth place in the two-woman event on the historic St Moritz hand cut ice track in Switzerland.
 
Warm weather impacted the week, forcing the monobob to be rescheduled for later in January, leaving the female athletes to only contest the two-woman event in St Moritz.
 
In the first run, the pair were looking at a top-five run, but Walker’s helmet visor unfortunately fogged up as the run went on making driving difficult, finishing with the tenth fastest time in 1:09.66 seconds.  
 
Walker and Reddingius improved in the second run, recording the eighth fastest time in 1:08.69 seconds, which moved them up into eighth on the final rankings in a two-run combined time of 2:18.35 seconds.
 
“In the first run I couldn’t see most of the way down, so couldn’t do much more than feel my way down the track“ said the QAS bobsleigh pilot.
 
“The second run was much better, so a solid result after a very interrupted week of training.”

Fellow QAS pilot Sarah Blizzard and brakewoman Hayley Silvester just missed the cut for the second run placing 23rd after a run one time of 1.11.69. 
 
The IBSF World Cup tour now heads to Innsbruck Austria, where Walker, Reddingius and Blizzard will compete in the monobob on January 18 and two-woman on January 19.

Bree Walker has claimed Australia’s first winter sports World Cup medal of 2025, with a bronze medal performance in the World Cup monobob event in Winterberg, Germany, in a spectacular day of competition which saw a number of track records fall in the final run.
 
The podium finish is the second straight for the QAS bobsleigh pilot, and the ninth of her World Cup career.
 
Walker was third after the first run with a time of 58.67 seconds, then was faster in the second run, momentarily holding the track record in a time of 58.44 seconds. and a two-run combined time of 1:57.11 seconds.
 
The final two athletes also broke the track record, German Lisa Buckwitz won with a combined time of 1:56.83, 0.28 seconds ahead of Walker while Swiss pilot Melanie Hasler of Switzerland finished second in 1:56.92.
 
“I’m super happy with the result here in Winterberg, I love sliding here, it’s actually my first podium here since the 2022 Olympic season” said the 32-year-old from Queensland.
 
“Really happy with my drives today, the first corner is cut a little bit differently this year so it makes it tricky and slipped me up a little bit, but I can’t be happier, my pushing is coming along really nicely and my drives were solid, so all-in-all a good day.
 
“The track was in good condition, and it’s really cold here, so that is perfect conditions for track records to be broken. It makes for fun racing when you know the record is being broken again-and-again, you know you’re up for a fast run.
 
“I’m looking forward to my first World Cup two-woman event of the season tomorrow with Kiara Reddingius in our new sled.”
 
Also in action for Australia was Sarah Blizzard in 22nd place.
 
After three World Cup monobob events this season, Walker is ranked third on the standings on 584 points, trailing German duo Lisa Buckwitz in first on 660 and Laura Nolte second with 619.

2022 Olympians Bree Walker and brakewoman Kiara Reddingius have raced in the two-woman bobsleigh event for the first time this northern winter, finishing with a gold and silver medal performance in the Europe Cup competition in Innsbruck, Austria.
 
Bobsleigh pilot Walker has been focused on the monobob World Cup events in the early season, allowing the pair to prepared for up for the upcoming two-woman World Cups in the best possible way on the Europe Cup circuit, taking a second-place finish on day one and the one place better claiming victory on day two..
 
On day one Walker and Rdddingius won the opening run, then the third fastest second run and finishing in a two-run time of 1:46.07, just 0.03 seconds behind event winners Charlotte Candrix and Lena Brunnhübner of Germany. Rounding out the podium in third was Maureen Zimmer and Lena Neunecker also German, 0.21 seconds behind first place.
 
In the second event, Walker and Rdddingius won both runs to take the gold medal in a two-run time of 1:46.79, 0.24 seconds ahead of Linda Weiszewski and Klaudia Adamek of Poland. Germany’s  Charlotte Candrix and Lena Brunnhübner were  third 0.25 seconds off first place.
 
Also competing in Innsbruck was Sarah Blizzard who finished 15th in the monobob, and teamed up with brakewoman Hayley Silvester in the two-woman event to finish 16th on day one.
 
The first World Cup event of 2025 is in Winterberg, Germany, on January 4-5.

At the IBSF monobob World Cup competition in Sigulda, Latvia, Bree Walker finished in third place, giving the 2022 Olympian her first podium of the season and eighth of her career.
 
The QAS athlete had a great first run with the second fastest time of the round in 53.32 seconds, just 0.1 seconds behind first place.
 
In the second and final run, Walker had the fourth fastest time in 53.83 seconds, and a two-run combined time of 1:47.15 putting her in third place, 0.26 seconds behind race winner Lisa Buckwitz of Germany, with Laura Nolte also of Germany second, 0.17 ahead of Walker.

The medal performance was Walker’s first on the Sigulda track and has her ranked third on the World Cup standings after two events.
 
“I was really happy with today, always a win when we are on the podium but especially here, as I really have a love hate relationship with this track, so it’s very satisfying and a nice way to end the first half of the World Cup season” said the 32-year-old from Queensland.
 
“I am so grateful for all the hard work my team has put in this week to help me win this medal. You really have to work hard to get it right at this place and everyone came together like a well-oiled machine. I am excited to take this momentum into the second half of the season.”
 
Sarah Blizzard finished in 17th place in her second monobob World Cup start .

The bobsleigh World Cup tour will resume in the new year in Winterberg, Germany, on January 4-5.

The IBSF World Cup season commenced over the weekend in Altenberg, Germany, with Bree Walker making a great start with a top-five finishing in the monobob.

The 2022 Olympian made a great start to the event on the difficult Altenberg track with the fastest time of all competitors in the first run in 59.47 seconds.

Making it even more impressive, was Walker had the tenth fastest start time, but then showed her impressive driving skills to work her way to the fastest time of the round.

In the second run, the third last competitor Elana Meyers Taylor of America had a fall which resulted in a delay which slowed the track down for the final two competitors and leaders from the first run, Debora Annen of Switzerland and finally Walker.

Walker finished her second run in a time of 1:01.13 seconds, which was the seventh fastest of the round, pushing her back to fifth place with a two run total of 2:00.60 seconds.

Taking the win 0.66 seconds ahead of Walker was Laura Nolte of Germany, with her teammate Lisa Buckwitz in second and Andreaa Grecu of Romania in third.

Walker reflected on her performance after the race.

“The fifth is a solid place to start the season. Unlucky to have a crash and a track hold in the snow before my second heat but I accept that can happen in bobsleigh sometimes.

“All in all I am m happy with my drives and how I performed, especially here in Altenberg, it sure has been a journey for me here. Ready to build on that this season.”

Sarah Blizzard made her World Cup monobob and two-woman World Cup driving debut, finishing in 21^st place in the monobob, and 17th in the two-woman with brakewoman Ashleigh Werner.

Walker and brakewoman Kiara Reddingius elected to not compete in the first two-woman bobsleigh events of the season, but will commence their season together in the first event of the new year in Winterberg, Germany.

Next weekend the IBSF tour moves to Sigulda, Latvia, for the next round of World Cup competition.

Bobsleigh pilot Bree Walker has finished the monobob season in the best possible way, recording Australia’s first ever bobsleigh World Cup gold medal in Lake Placid, USA, giving Walker her fifth World Cup medal of the season and a career best end of season ranking.

Walker started with an incredible first run, setting a new track record for Lake Placid in 59.22 seconds, which was well over a second faster than the old record.

In the final run, Walker was the final competitor of the event as the leader from the first round, and performed superbly under pressure to again record the fastest time in 59.45 seconds, to secure her first ever World Cup victory with a two-run time of 1:58.67 seconds.

American Elana Meyers Taylor on her home track finished second 0.24 seconds behind Walker, with Cynthia Appiah of Canada 0.46 seconds back in third.

“It feels amazing, I came into this week knowing that I can be competitive and to come away with a win is the best possible way I could end the monobob season, I am so happy” said the 31-year-old Olympian from Queensland.

“Heading into the second run I knew I had to execute what I did in the first run. When I crossed the line I couldn’t even see the time or know where I had finished, but I knew it was a good run and I would be in the medals, but even better that it’s the win.”

The victory also saw Walker move into second place on the final World Cup monobob standings with 1549 points, her best end of season ranking.

First on the standings was 2024 World Champion Lisa Buckwitz of Germany on 1644 points with her teammate and 2022 Olympic gold medallist Laura Nolte in third on 1547.

The final World Cup event of the season takes place in Lake Placid tomorrow, where brakewoman Kiarra Reddingius will join Walker in the two-woman event.

Lake Placid will host the 2025 Bobsleigh World Championships next year ahead of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, now less than two years away.

Bobsleigh pilot Bree Walker and brakewoman Kiara Reddingius have achieved the best ever result for Australia in the two-woman or two-man event at an IBSF World Championships, with a remarkable fifth place finish in Winterberg, Germany.

The performance is the second top-5 for Walker at the World Championships, after the 31 year old finished in fourth place in the monobob last weekend. The result smashes her previous best 14th place finish, in her only other two-woman World Championship start in 2020.

Walker and Reddingius put down four competitive runs over two days of racing on the Winterberg track, to finish in a total time of 3:45.43 seconds, 1.44 seconds behind the eventual winner.

It was a German clean sweep of the podium on their home track, with Team Buckwitz winning gold, ahead of Team Nolte in silver and Team Kalicki with the bronze.

"The week was really good, training went well and we changed our sled setup and it just fit perfectly", said Walker.

"After the monobob I just had to reset and go again, and I could sense that Kiara was really excited for this week, and training was going well so we took that energy into the race and I am so happy with the result here. We were really consistent in our pushing at the start, and also in my driving, so I am over the moon."

"It was a whirlwind when we first started sliding together, and we jelled really quickly. From that point on we knew we could be a good team, it was just a matter of time doing more training and racing together."

I always knew I could be competitive in the two-woman as well as the monobob, I just needed to find my girl to help me do that, and I feel Kiarra is as competitive as I am, and it's so exciting to have a teammate who believes that we can be competitive with the best in the world."

Reddingius also commented after the race.

"I am really proud of us this season, our aim was consistency and we have nailed that at nearly every single race, especially here over four heats, it shows we can stay up there with the best in the world."

"This is our first season as a full team the whole time, so we will only go up from here."

Also competing for Australia was Sarah Blizzard and Desi Johnson who finished in 21st place, in their first two-woman World Championship race together.

The final round of World Cup competition will take place in Lake Placid, NY, USA on March 22-23. Walker is currently ranked fourth on the monobob standings, and could finish as high as second with a strong performance.

Bree Walker has come agonisingly close to a medal at the IBSF World Championships in Winterberg, Germany, missing the podium by just 0.07 seconds.

The fourth place result matches her previous best finish at a World Championships, where she had the same result last year in St Moritz, Switzerland, which is again the best ever result by an Australian bobsleigh athlete at a World Championships.

In the four run championship format, the QAS athlete performed well in her first three runs, highlighted by an exceptional third run where she had the second fastest run of the round.

Heading into the final run ranked second overall, Walker unfortunately had a mistake halfway down the run which made it difficult to recover enough speed to make the podium, and registered the seventh fastest time of the final run.
Walker finished with a four run combined time of 3:55.07 seconds, with the victory going to Laura Nolte of Germany in 3:54.77, Elana Meyers Taylor of the USA was second in 3:54.95 and German Lisa Buckwitz rounded out the podium in third with 3:55.00.

Also in action for Australia making her World Championship debut was Sarah Blizzard, who finished in 23rd place.

“It was a really tight race, and I knew it was going to be really tough and I was ready for that,” said the 31-year-old Olympian from Cairns.

“We did absolutely everything possible and left nothing to chance, I know how to execute a medal winning performance, so I just had to go out and do that, and unfortunately I just missed it, it hasn’t quite set in, but I am pretty heartbroken.”

“I made a mistake in that final run in a really important spot, and it cascaded down. You can’t make a mistake with these girls, everyone is driving so well and I ultimately paid the price and dropped to fourth.”

“My team is amazing, my coach goes above and beyond and I can’t thank Pierre (Lueders) enough for everything that he is teaching me, he is doing such a fantastic job coaching and running our team, it’s so professional.”

Next weekend sees the two-woman bobsleigh World Championship event take place at Winterberg on March 2-3, with Walker to be joined by brakewoman Kiara Reddingius. Sarah Blizzard will also be competing together with her brakewoman Desi Johnson.

“We have the two-woman coming up, and I am excited to get in and get going with that. The goal is to execute a really good race, the last time I competed in that event at the World Championships was in 2020 in Altenberg at my first World Championships, so I am excited to get in the sled and do that with Kiara next week.”

Competing in the last event before the 2024 IBSF World Championships, Bree Walker has finished in seventh place in the monobob on the difficult track in Altenberg, Germany, which saw many of her rivals crash.

In the first run Walker had mistakes, and finished in 1:01.43 seconds which was the ninth fastest time of the round.
In the second run, Walker dramatically improved to have the fastest time in the field of 16, finishing in an impressive time of 1:00.55 seconds.

Her two run combined time was 1:01.98, which put her 0.69 seconds behind event winner, 2022 Olympic two-woman bobsleigh champion Laura Nolte of Germany, with Elana Meyers-Taylor in second and another German, Lisa Buckwitz rounding out the podium in third place.

Walker and brakewoman Kiara Reddingius elected not to compete in the two-woman, in order to prepare for the World Championships which commences next weekend in Winterberg, Germany, with monobob scheduled for February 24-25 and two-woman on March 1-2.

With one World Cup monobob event remaining in the season on March 22 in Lake Placid, USA, Walker is in fourth place on the World Cup rankings with 1324 points, trailing American Kaysha Love in third place on 1332. German sliders are ranked first and second, with Buckwitz leading on 1468 points and Nolte second with 1355 points.

“Altenberg can be a challenging place but I like a challenge so I went into last week ready for it,” said the 31-year-old Olympian from Queensland.

“I had a good feeling about the race but unfortunately in the first heat I made a mistake in the straight-a-way (again) which cost me so much speed. In the second heat I fixed it to lay down the fastest run of the heat.”

“Bittersweet as I know what my potential is in Altenberg but have to accept that is racing sometimes.”

“I walk away still feeling positive and proud of how much I have improved here over the last two seasons and we go onto the next one.”

Bree Walker pushing out of the start gate in Altenberg
IMAGE - Viesturs Lacis Rekords

Bobsleigh pilot Bree Walker and brakewoman Kiara Reddingius have taken part in a triple World Cup event in Sigulda, Latvia, with the difficult track causing havoc for many of the teams and sleds from all countries.

First up was a two-woman race, with Walker and Reddingius achieving their best result of the weekend in fifth place, just 0.67 seconds behind the event winners Kim Kalicki and Leonie Fiebig of Germany.

On day two Walker competed in the monobob, finishing in ninth, 1.15 second behind German pilot Lisa Buckwitz in first place.

The third and final day featured another two-woman World Cup, with Walker and Reddingius finishing the first run in seventh.

Unfortunately in the second run, the pair had a fall in the bottom section of the Sigulda track, causing the sled to slide across the line on its side, putting them in 13th place.

The next World Cup will take place in Altenberg, Germany, on February 17-18.

On day two in Lillehammer Bree Walker teamed up with brakewoman Kiara Reddingius in the two-woman event, with the pair finishing in fifth place, the third time they have finished in the top-5 this season.

In the first run the pair finished with the fifth fastest time in 51.99 seconds, and improved in run number two to be the fourth fastest sled down the track in 52.15.

Their two-run combined time was 1:44.14 seconds, finishing 0.52 behind event winner Kim Kalicki and Leonie Fiebig of Germany.

After four events, the Aussie pair are currently ranked fifth on the IBSF World Cup standings in the two-woman.

Next weekend features a double World Cup event in the two-woman and single event in the monobob in Sigulda, Latvia.

Bobsleigh pilot Walker has returned in style to the Olympic track in Lillehammer, Norway, with a silver medal performance in the monobob, her first competition in Lillehammer since November 2019 when she was competing on the Europe Cup circuit.

The podium finish is the fourth straight medal for the QAS bobsleigh pilot, who has finished in the top-five in every World Cup event this season.

In the first run Walker was tied with Cynthia Appiah of Canada for the second fastest time of the round in 54.41 seconds, and in the second run had the third fastest time completing the run in 54.53 seconds.

Her two-run combined time of 1:48.94 was 0.42 seconds behind event winner Kaysha Love of the USA, with 2018 Olympic gold medallist Lisa Buckwitz of Germany .01 behind Walker in third.

After five World Cup events this season, Walker is ranked equal second on the standings on 1004 points along with Love, with Buckwitz leading the pair on 1043 points.

“It's been really fun here this week, I haven't slid here since 2019, and I actually couldn't remember the track last week when we came here for training ahead of the World Cup,” said the 31-year-old Olympian from Queensland.

“My coach Pierre Lueders and I both had to relearn it together as he hasn't slid here since 1998, so it was a fast learning curve for both of us.”

Walker was joined by brakewoman Kiara Reddingius for the two-woman bobsleigh event at St Moritz, with the pair making it back-to-back top-five World Cup finishes.

In the first run Walker and Reddingius had the sixth fastest time in 1:09.21 seconds, and went faster in the second run with a 1:08.51 seconds which the fifth fastest of the round, giving them a combined two-run time of 2:17.72 seconds and final ranking of fifth.

Finishing 1.13 seconds ahead of Walker and Reddingius in first place was the German team of Laura Nolte and Neele Schuten, with Lisa Buckwitz and Lauryn Siebert also of Germany in second, with Melanie Hasler and Mara Morell of Switzerland in third.

After the event Walker reflected on a successful weekend in St Moritz.

“I haven’t had much two-woman experience on this track in the past, so today I really didn’t have expectations on us. Honestly, I am really happy and think we can build on this result for years to come. It’s a really solid start with a lot more in the bank.”

“In two-woman this is our best result here, in the past we were just outside of the top-ten, so to jump all of those places and finish fifth is really satisfying, and especially when I still feel I have so much more to learn in the two-woman here, you can’t ask for much better than a fifth today.”

“The St Mortiz track has been very challenging for me in the past and it needs a special way to drive. I am slowly learning and liking this track more and more, so every time I come back I am enjoying myself here and taking in the surroundings. This is where bobsleigh was born so how could you not love this place.”

After three events, Walker and Reddingius are ranked fifth in the world, which is on track to be Australia’s best ever end of season ranking in the two-woman, two-man or four-man event.

The next World Cup events will take place in Lillehammer, Norway, on January 27-28.

Queensland Academy of Sport Bobsleigh pilot Bree Walker has continued her great form into the new year, with a bronze medal at the World Cup monobob event in St Moritz, Switzerland.

The podium performance is the third straight medal for Walker and sees her move into second place on the World Cup standings after four events.

Competing on the unique hand cut and historic ice track in St Moritz, Walker made a strong start recording the second fastest time in the opening run in 1:11.79 seconds. In the second and final run, Walker improved to finish with a time of 1:11.14 seconds which was again second fastest of the second round tying with Laura Nolte of Germany.

Her two-run combined time of 2:22.93 was just 0.15 seconds behind event winner Lisa Buckwitz of Germany, and another German Laura Nolte in second, just 0.02 seconds ahead of Walker in third.

“It’s so special, I’m really happy with my runs today and even happier that it resulted in a podium,” said the 31-year-old from Cairns.

“Each time I come here I learn more and more. I had to relearn the track with my new coach last year so coming back this year I didn’t have so much to learn, so I think that made all the difference.”

Walker and brakewoman Kiara Reddingius then finished the weekend in the best possible way in the two-woman, claiming the best ever result for Australia in World Cup competition.

Walker and Reddingius started the event with the third fastest time in run one with a time of 52.90 seconds, and then in run two had the fourth fastest in 52.82 seconds. Their two run time of 1:45.72 seconds put them in fourth place, just 0.8 seconds off the podium.

Germany clean swept the event in the two-woman, with Lisa Buckwitz winning all three events in Innsbruck.

“I was pretty confident that we could produce a great result in the two-woman off the back of the two monobob podiums. The vibe was high so we took that into the race and produced a great performance,” said Walker.

“Those two runs were probably the best I have ever had in a race on this track so very happy to finish on that note.”

“I didn’t do much two-woman last season, so getting back into racing in the two events has been a juggling act, but we have a great team around us that helps manage it extremely well.”

“I am very grateful for the team we have on board this season. We are really starting to build the right people around us to produce the results we know we are capable of!”