For Bree Walker, the only pressure that matters is the five g‑forces slamming through her body as she rockets down the bobsleigh track. With the Winter Olympics fast approaching, Australia’s fastest slider is entering the Games not weighed down by expectation, but fuelled by it.
The newly rebuilt Cortina d’Ampezzo track will send athletes hurtling at 125 kilometres per hour, with forces comparable to those endured by Formula 1 drivers and fighter jet pilots. It’s an arena built for the fearless and Walker has never looked more ready.
Ranked world number two after a blistering season that delivered three wins and five podiums from seven World Cup starts, the 33‑year‑old is perfectly positioned to chase Australia’s first‑ever Olympic monobob medal at the 2026 Games. Instead of feeling the weight of being a gold‑medal favourite, she told AAP she’s embracing every moment.
“I don’t feel pressure in a negative way at all it’s what I wanted,” said Walker, who finished fifth in the monobob’s Olympic debut in Beijing 2022.
“I wanted to become one of the best in the world, I wanted to be winning medals for Australia, and what comes with that is the pressure to compete against the best.”
For Walker, that pressure is not a burden it’s fuel.
“I use that energy for my racing because I get excited by that. I get excited by tight races, by competing with the best and striving for medals. I’m a true racer at heart.”
With her confidence soaring and her form peaking, Walker is heading into Cortina not just as a contender, but as one of the athletes to beat.
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