Australian Olympian Bree Walker has won a silver medal at the IBSF World Cup monobob event in Innsbruck, Austria.
Key points:
- Walker’s two-run combined time of 1:49.38 was just 0.18 behind winner Lisa Buckwitz
- The Australian also won bronze at a World Cup event in Germany last month
- Walker was fifth in the monobob at the Beijing Winter Olympics
It is Walker’s second podium finish of the World Cup season.
The 30-year-old Melburnian — who finished fifth in the new Olympic event at the Beijing Games last year — also won bronze last month in Altenberg, Germany.
Walker has switched coaches to train under under five-time Olympian Pierre Lueders — who is Canada’s most decorated bobsledder — and she continues to be one of pacesetters in the sport.
She made a strong start on the Igls track where she has previously enjoyed success, having claimed four medals through her career.
Walker recorded the third-fastest time in the opening run in 54.71 seconds and improved in the second and final run to clock 54.68, which was the second-fastest of the round.
Her two-run combined time of 1:49.38 was just 0.18 behind event winner Lisa Buckwitz of Germany, with Canadian Cynthia Appiah rounding out the podium, 0.04 behind Walker in third.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better way to round out my World Cup season with the second place here in Igls,” Walker said.
“I really enjoy sliding here, It’s easy to make it down this track but sometimes hard to make it down fast because the slightest mistake can cost you so much time, so that provides a great challenge.
“I’m also very happy to be improving on my results from race to race. The competition in monobob this year has really levelled up, which makes for fierce racing.”
Walker will now join up with Sarah Blizzard to compete in the two-woman Europe Cup race in Winterberg, Germany, on February 18.
AAP