“What’s There to Be Sad About?” - Walker finds perspective in Cortina
When Bree Walker completed her fourth and final heat of the Women’s Monobob tonight at the Cortina Sliding Centre and removed her helmet, her trademark grin was there for all to see.
Article courtesy olympics.com.au
She hugged teammate Kiara Reddingius and turned to the small but vocal group of family in the stand adjacent to the track, smiling and waving to those who have been with her every step of her journey to become a two-time Olympian.
For Walker, that moment mattered just as much as the clock, and possibly more so than the eighth place result she achieved.
“At the finish I did have a big smile,” she said. “All I wanted to see was a ‘1’ on the timing light and I just wanted to see Kiara and I just wanted to see my family.
“What a beautiful thing. It’s not every day that I have my family trackside for racing.
“So what’s there to be sad about when you have such wonderful supporters that are coming all the way from Australia here to see me at the Olympics?”
The perspective Walker showed post-race was the sign of an experienced athlete who understands that sometimes the result on the day does not fully reflect the effort and dedication poured into a campaign.
“I feel like I was coming off a season where I’ve improved a lot in my driving and improved a lot in my start and I improved a lot as an athlete,” said the Queensland Academy of Sport representative. “And so I was ready to come here and race, but, you know, yeah, the track got the better of me, I guess, and that is the result and I have to live with it.
“You have to just be able to adapt quickly to the conditions and that’s the nature of the Olympics and that’s why it’s such a special event.
“The ones who do, you take your hat off to them because you’re like, man, you were able to figure it out and execute when it mattered and that’s really impressive.”
While there was disappointment in the outcome and there will be moments of reflection to come, seeing Reddingius at the finish line reminded Walker her Milano Cortina 2026 story is only halfway complete.
“When I crossed the line I said, ‘Alright, that’s done, on to two-man.’”
The 2-woman Bobsleigh begins on Friday, with Walker and Reddingius teaming up for their second straight Games toegther. It is a partnership built on trust and resilience, qualities that will be needed after a testing season.
“Our two-man season’s been pretty hard this year, but, you know, we’re Aussies, we don’t give up and we keep fighting and we’re just going to go out there and do our very best and see what happens,” Walker said.
With family in the stands and her teammate now quite literally behind her in the sled, Walker’s Olympic campaign is far from over.
When Bree Walker completed her fourth and final heat of the Women’s Monobob tonight at the Cortina Sliding Centre and removed her helmet, her trademark grin was there for all to see.
Article courtesy olympics.com.au
She hugged teammate Kiara Reddingius and turned to the small but vocal group of family in the stand adjacent to the track, smiling and waving to those who have been with her every step of her journey to become a two-time Olympian.
For Walker, that moment mattered just as much as the clock, and possibly more so than the eighth place result she achieved.
“At the finish I did have a big smile,” she said. “All I wanted to see was a ‘1’ on the timing light and I just wanted to see Kiara and I just wanted to see my family.
“What a beautiful thing. It’s not every day that I have my family trackside for racing.
“So what’s there to be sad about when you have such wonderful supporters that are coming all the way from Australia here to see me at the Olympics?”
The perspective Walker showed post-race was the sign of an experienced athlete who understands that sometimes the result on the day does not fully reflect the effort and dedication poured into a campaign.
“I feel like I was coming off a season where I’ve improved a lot in my driving and improved a lot in my start and I improved a lot as an athlete,” said the Queensland Academy of Sport representative. “And so I was ready to come here and race, but, you know, yeah, the track got the better of me, I guess, and that is the result and I have to live with it.
“You have to just be able to adapt quickly to the conditions and that’s the nature of the Olympics and that’s why it’s such a special event.
“The ones who do, you take your hat off to them because you’re like, man, you were able to figure it out and execute when it mattered and that’s really impressive.”
While there was disappointment in the outcome and there will be moments of reflection to come, seeing Reddingius at the finish line reminded Walker her Milano Cortina 2026 story is only halfway complete.
“When I crossed the line I said, ‘Alright, that’s done, on to two-man.’”
The 2-woman Bobsleigh begins on Friday, with Walker and Reddingius teaming up for their second straight Games toegther. It is a partnership built on trust and resilience, qualities that will be needed after a testing season.
“Our two-man season’s been pretty hard this year, but, you know, we’re Aussies, we don’t give up and we keep fighting and we’re just going to go out there and do our very best and see what happens,” Walker said.
With family in the stands and her teammate now quite literally behind her in the sled, Walker’s Olympic campaign is far from over.
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