Jan 11 (Reuters) - Australia's Bree Walker won the World Cup monobob gold medal at the St Moritz-Celerina track in Switzerland on Saturday, in a major boost ahead of next month's Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
The 33-year-old recorded a combined time of 2:23.27 to finish on top, overtaking Swiss rival Melanie Hasler who claimed the silver medal with a combined time of 2:23.80, with Austrian bobsleigh athlete Katrin Beierl winning bronze with a combined time of 2:23.95.
Walker, who collected her third gold of the World Cup season, became the first Australian to win on the track, and credited her coach for the achievement.
"Pierre (Lueders) has been teaching me for years, and it's been a slow process," she told the IBSF, the global federation.
"He loves this track and has had so much success here, so I think I should dedicate this win to him today.
"Especially to be on the podium with Kati and Mel, that's our dream podium. We had a really good time.
"I am just focusing on what I need to do. I had a really good race today - and I am super happy."
Walker now moves into second place on the overall World Cup monobob standings with 1219 points, behind Germany's Laura Nolte who remains on top with 1246 points.
She will next return to action on Sunday for the two-woman bobsleigh event alongside Kiara Reddingius.
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Michael Perry)
