Sport
22 August, 2025
Blizzard aims to qualify for second Winter Olympics
Ararat’s Sarah Blizzard will put her best foot forward in November as she aims to qualify for her second Winter Olympics, held at Milano Cortina in February.
Coming from an athletics background, where she made four consecutive Stawell Gift Finals, Blizzard started the sport of Bobsleigh in 2019 and debuted as a brakeman.
Since then, the 28-year-old has competed in a World Championship, has finished on the podium in the European Cup on four occasions, and completed her first full World Cup season from December 2024 to February 2025 as a pilot, showing consistent results with her best, a 13th-place finish in February.
The seven-event World Cup season will kick off with a test on the Olympic track in Cortina between November 17-23 and will finish in Altenberg in Germany between January 12-18.
Not only will Blizzard compete in the World Cup, but she will also compete in the Euro Cup, a lower division, in both the Monobob and two-woman.
“There are a variety of races, where I will race nearly every week to get as many points and best results as possible,” Blizzard said.
Blizzard is not sure who will be her brakeman in the upcoming season, but she said she has three competitive women who are trying out for that position.
“They are awesome girls and are very competitive,” Blizzard said.
“They get to test themselves, and one will be competing, and the others will be an alternate, and I have been there myself, so I know how hard it is for them, but it’s also up to them.”
Blizzard said the recent World Cup season was chaotic, as not only was it her first as a pilot, and trying to learn, she had a lot of new team members too, and she took a lot out of it to prepare herself for the upcoming season.
“It was more about getting the feeling of the World Cup as I was the most inexperienced there,” Blizzard said.
“It was an important season for learning and developing without expecting too much from results.
“I learned a lot, and it was really helpful to take what I learned and apply it to this upcoming season.”
With a sprinting background, Blizzard said that helps regarding Bobsleigh but also pointed out athletes come from other sports such as rugby, cycling and different track and field specialties, among other sports.
“It's very helpful as speed is an important factor with the push start, as once the sled gets going, it gets fast,” Blizzard said.
“With that said, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, with a variety of different athletes bringing certain things to the track, so while speed is good, explosive power is also important.”
Blizzard highlighted the training she does.
“Everything is speed and explosive power and is a mix between sprints on the track and hitting the gym,” Blizzard said.
“In Europe, we have push tracks where we can push the sled, and in October, we can start sliding on ice and getting used to being on the sled before competition starts.”
Blizzard usually spends approximately six months in Europe and six months in Australia, but being an Olympic year, she went to Europe in June to prepare for what will be the most important season to date in her career.
“My team came over with me for a training camp in June, and then headed back home,” Blizzard said.
“As it’s an Olympic year, I need to do as much as I can to give myself the best opportunity to be ready.”
Blizzard also has a contract with the Queensland Academy of Sport and said that it has been very helpful.
“They are good at supporting winter athletes, which is nice,” Blizzard said.
“The training facilities in Queensland are good. While there is no push track, the gym and athletics track are next to each other, which is beneficial.
“I also don’t get a summer. As I am overseas in winter, and come back in Australian winter, spending it in Queensland is not so bad, as it’s warmer compared to the Victorian winter.”
Bobsleigh, like most winter sports, doesn't have much government funding, so for Blizzard to live out her dreams, she relies on sponsorship, donations and her hip pocket.
“A season for me as a pilot costs approximately $60,000,” Blizzard said.
“There are a lot of costs associated with the sport, such as renting a van for a season to transport the sleds, fuel, coaching costs, flights, and accommodation take a massive chunk of the budget.
“Training itself is pricey, as one training run costs about 120 Australian dollars, and I do two or three a day for a full week in the pre-season, and there are other little costs as well, so it’s ridiculously expensive and all adds up.”
“Thankfully, I have a few sponsors helping out, but a lot of funding comes from our own pockets.”
Blizzard and her team have set up a donation page, which not only helps with the costs mentioned, but equipment.
If you want to make a tax-deductible donation or want to enquire about sponsorship, to help Blizzard and her team, please visit https://asf.org.au/projects/sarah-blizzard/bobteam-blizzards-equipment-fund-for-202526-season.
