Her World Cup season featured podiums in Lillehammer, Sigulda, St Moritz, and Altenberg, signaling peak form heading into Milano Cortina.

While sleds are standardized, expensive custom runners and the push-start technique are decisive, often separating runners by hundredths of a second.

A full support team—including head coach Pierre Lueders, push coach Olaf Hampel, and mentors like Lydia Lassila—plus a dedicated physical coach and sport scientists, has driven her rapid development.

Cortina d’Ampezzo is seen as a pilot’s track: steep starts, a challenging top section, and faster, more flowy segments reward explosive starts and precise cornering.

Australian athletes face financial and logistical challenges competing in a Northern Hemisphere circuit, including equipment costs and extensive travel.

Australian monobob racer Bree Walker enters Milano Cortina 2026 as a gold-medal favorite after three World Cup wins and five podiums from seven starts this season, solidifying her as a top contender.

Walker has risen from humble beginnings to become a podium regular on the World Cup circuit, entering the Games with strong form and confidence.

Her background spans a decade transitioning from track athletics to bobsleigh, drawn by speed and leading starts, with speeds around 125 km/h and high g-forces on Cortina’s track.

Her preparation centers on a specialized push track in Calgary and a revised technique this season, with a focus on a powerful push start to cope with Cortina’s long, open-track corners.

She embraces Olympic pressure as positive energy, treating competition as a core element of her racing mindset.

Lueders believes Walker has medal potential and can win Olympic gold, stressing the value of self-coaching and precise feedback from her coaching team.

Walker will team with Kiara Reddingius in the two-woman event, aiming to improve on their Beijing finish of 16th place.