Australian skeleton athlete Michelle Steele has produced a remarkable sixth placing in the first World Cup competition of her career, in Calgary, Canada overnight.
Australian skeleton athlete Michelle Steele has produced a remarkable sixth placing in the first World Cup competition of her career, in Calgary, Canada overnight.
Steele recorded the fastest push time in the opening heat and the second fastest time in the final heat to finish 1.15 seconds behind race winner Melissa Hollingsworth-Richards of Canada.
Australia's other National Touring Team member Melissa Hoar was in 18th place, 2.66 seconds off the winning time. It was also a debut World Cup race for Hoar, who finished in 13th place in the world championships in February.
Hollingsworth-Richards recorded a total time of 1:56.11 to take the gold on her home track.
The silver medal went to 2005 world champion Maya Pederson of Switzerland, .75 of a second behind the winner, with Katie Uhlaender of the United States collecting bronze.
Steele, from Innes Park in Queensland, made her first competitive journey down a skeleton track in Calgary 12 months ago to the day, and has raced just ten events - including Australian selection trials - since that time.
The 19-year-old's previous best result was a tenth placing in the second-tier America's Cup in January.
"I don't think it's sunk in yet," Steele said. "My head is still spinning.
I was thinking maybe top ten if I went super well, but I certainly wasn't expecting sixth, especially at the start of an Olympic season."
"I was really happy with my start times. All four of us have worked very hard during the off season at the AIS on our sprint speed because it's such a vital part of the race, and we have all made major improvements."
"But I steered pretty well also. I had some problems with one of the turns, hit the wall when I came out of it and lost some speed, but other than that I must have been doing OK to finish up sixth."
National Touring team coach Terry Holland was delighted with the result.
"For Michelle to finish in front of all four German women - and that includes a world champion and World Cup winners - is big," Holland said.
"To perform so well after just 13 weeks worth of ice time altogether is a great effort."
"We have certainly sent a tremor across the skeleton world."
The Australian team sits in sixth place on the Nation's Cup rankings after the Calgary event. The team needs to be in the top eight after the first five events of the season to qualify one slider for the Torino 2006 Games.
Steele and Hoar will travel to Europe for the third World Cup of the season in Innsbruck, Austria, while National Touring Team members Emma Lincoln-Smith and Bindee Johnston will contest the second World Cup of the season in Lake Placid on November 18th.
In the men's Calgary event, Australian sliders Urs Vescoli and Shaun Boyle finished back in the 40-sled field in 32nd and 34th places respectively.
Steele recorded the fastest push time in the opening heat and the second fastest time in the final heat to finish 1.15 seconds behind race winner Melissa Hollingsworth-Richards of Canada.
Australia's other National Touring Team member Melissa Hoar was in 18th place, 2.66 seconds off the winning time. It was also a debut World Cup race for Hoar, who finished in 13th place in the world championships in February.
Hollingsworth-Richards recorded a total time of 1:56.11 to take the gold on her home track.
The silver medal went to 2005 world champion Maya Pederson of Switzerland, .75 of a second behind the winner, with Katie Uhlaender of the United States collecting bronze.
Steele, from Innes Park in Queensland, made her first competitive journey down a skeleton track in Calgary 12 months ago to the day, and has raced just ten events - including Australian selection trials - since that time.
The 19-year-old's previous best result was a tenth placing in the second-tier America's Cup in January.
"I don't think it's sunk in yet," Steele said. "My head is still spinning.
I was thinking maybe top ten if I went super well, but I certainly wasn't expecting sixth, especially at the start of an Olympic season."
"I was really happy with my start times. All four of us have worked very hard during the off season at the AIS on our sprint speed because it's such a vital part of the race, and we have all made major improvements."
"But I steered pretty well also. I had some problems with one of the turns, hit the wall when I came out of it and lost some speed, but other than that I must have been doing OK to finish up sixth."
National Touring team coach Terry Holland was delighted with the result.
"For Michelle to finish in front of all four German women - and that includes a world champion and World Cup winners - is big," Holland said.
"To perform so well after just 13 weeks worth of ice time altogether is a great effort."
"We have certainly sent a tremor across the skeleton world."
The Australian team sits in sixth place on the Nation's Cup rankings after the Calgary event. The team needs to be in the top eight after the first five events of the season to qualify one slider for the Torino 2006 Games.
Steele and Hoar will travel to Europe for the third World Cup of the season in Innsbruck, Austria, while National Touring Team members Emma Lincoln-Smith and Bindee Johnston will contest the second World Cup of the season in Lake Placid on November 18th.
In the men's Calgary event, Australian sliders Urs Vescoli and Shaun Boyle finished back in the 40-sled field in 32nd and 34th places respectively.
