'Our dream podium': Bree Walker etches her name into the history books with latest monobob World Cup win
Bree Walker is not going to slow down in her pursuit for Olympic gold, producing a historic run on the track in St Moritz-Celerina to land on top of the World Cup podium.
The Australian star collected her third gold medal of the World Cup season in Switzerland on Saturday evening, after setting the tone for the event in qualifying.
A time of 1 minutes and 11.98 seconds in her opening run position her on top of the monobob standings leading in to the final, where she improved her time by 0.69.
READ MORE: Bombshell report on 'loose' tour leaves Vaughan fuming
READ MORE: Epic scenes as minnows produce shock 117-year first
READ MORE: Defending champions USA dethroned in United Cup
A combined time of 2:23.27 could not be matched be Walker's rivals on the track, with Swiss star Melanie Hasler coming in to claim the silver medal with a joint time of 2:23.80.
Austrian bobsleigh athlete Katrin Beierl won bronze with a combined time of 2:23.95.
Walker's win not only set the tone of what is to come in her Olympic campaign, but also marked the first time an Australian had won gold on the iconic Celerina track.
Bree Walker in action on the track in Switzerland. Viesturs Lacis/IBSF
The track is the only current track that includes hand-cut ice and natural refrigeration, and was used as the host venue for the 1928 and 1948 Winter Olympic Games.
Reflecting on her latest performance, Walker dedicated her win to her coach.
"Pierre (Lueders) has been teaching me for years, and it's been a slow process," Walker said.
"He loves this track and has had so much success here, so I think I should dedicate this win to him today."
Bree Walker poses on the podium in Switzerland. Viesturs Lacis/IBSF
Lueders could not hide his excitement in the coaches' box as he watched Walker cross the line, much to the joy of the 33-year-old.
"Well that's fantastic, I'm glad Pierre had a lot of fun today, I sure did," she added.
"Especially to be on the podium with Kati and Mel, that's our dream podium. We had a really good time."
Walker was not the only Australian to hit the track in St Moritz, with Sarah Blizzard also featuring in the monobob discipline and finishing 20th.
Walker now moves into second place on the overall World Cup monobob standings with 1219 points, while Germany's Laura Nolte still remains in the top spot with 1246 points.
She will return to the track on Sunday evening (AEDT) for the two-woman bobsleigh event alongside brakewoman Kiara Reddingius.
Blizzard will be joined by Desi Johnson in the two-woman discipline as well.
