Kiara Reddingius

Fast Facts

Sport: Bobsleigh
Event: 2-woman
Olympic History: Beijing 2022, Milano Cortina 2026
Highlights: 16th in 2-woman Bobsleigh at Beijing 2022
Coach: Zsolt Zsombor
Year Born: 1992

About Kiara

Only five years after first trying bobsleigh, Kiara Reddingius will compete at her second Olympic Winter Games as the brakewoman in the 2-woman event with Bree Walker. Kiara’s journey from regional Western Australia to the world’s fastest ice tracks is remarkable. 

Raised in the Western Australian goldfields town of Leonora, Kiara came to elite sport by an unconventional path. A late starter in athletics at 21, she rose quickly to become a three‑time national silver medallist in the heptathlon. To fund her ambitions, she worked a range of jobs from shifts in the Kalgoorlie mines to exercising racehorses and relief teaching, all while completing a Bachelor of Science in conservation and wildlife biology with a minor in mathematical modelling, and a Graduate Diploma in secondary maths/science teaching.  

In 2022, she returned to Leonora as patron of the town’s Golden Gift running festival, underscoring the community roots that shaped her sporting journey. When the pandemic curtailed domestic athletics, Kiara sought a new challenge.

She first tried bobsleigh in 2021, debuting on the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation World Cup in November that year with pilot Ashleigh Werner. Soon after, she teamed with pilot Bree Walker; a string of promising results at Winterberg in December 2021 and January 2022 confirmed her potential as a brakewoman at international level. Their combination earned selection for the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, where Kiara and Bree finished 16th in the two‑woman event, less than half a second from the top ten, in what was only their fourth race together. 

Momentum built across the next two seasons. In December 2023, Kiara and Bree produced Australia’s best 2‑woman World Cup result, finishing fourth at Innsbruck after third‑ and fourth‑fastest runs on the day. The performance signalled the pair’s growing consistency against the sport’s dominant European nations and set up a strong championship campaign. 

At the 2024 IBSF World Championships in Winterberg, the Australian sled delivered a landmark fifth place. Australia’s best finish in the 2‑woman event at a World Championships, after four competitive heats on one of the tour’s most technical tracks. The result followed Bree’s fourth in the monobob the week prior and confirmed Kiara’s standing as a world‑class starter and brakie in major championships. 

The 2024–25 northern winter brought further milestones and tests. In December 2024, Kiara and Bree used European Cup racing in Innsbruck to tune their new sled, winning gold and silver on consecutive days. Stepping back onto the top circuit in January 2025, they opened with fifth at Winterberg, their first World Cup of the season, before eighth at St Moritz and 11th at Innsbruck. A week later, while in podium contention at Lillehammer, they crashed late in the first heat and were classified 21st, underscoring the sport’s fine margins.

They closed the season at the 2025 IBSF World Championships in Lake Placid, placing 13th in a four‑heat contest as Bree battled illness; it was a gritty finish to a season that had already showcased top‑five World Cup speed. Through this period Kiara also formalised her place within the national program, commencing an Olympic Winter Institute of Australia athlete performance contract in 2024 and training within the Queensland Academy of Sport system, reflecting her full commitment to Australia’s bobsleigh ambitions. 

Across the pre-Olympic 2025-26 World Cup season, Kiara and Bree continued to deliver strong results. They were 18th on the Cortina d'Ampezzo Olympic track and 18th again a week later in Innsbruck. Their best finish came at Lillehammer when 12th, before 19th in Winterberg and 16th at St. Moritz. They chose not to compete in the final World Cup of the season in Altenberg. 

Away from the ice Kiara has continued to balance study and work with performance sport. In recent seasons she has worked as a mindset coach while training and competing around the world. Her spectacular story is underpinned by persistence, adaptability and community, qualities she credits with helping her switch from a late‑starting heptathlete to an Olympian brakie.