OLYMPIAN Sarah Blizzard is taking greater control of her sporting career on an intense winter circuit to step up her next Five-Ring bid.
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The sprinter-turned-sledder, aged 27, has started to capture podium attention in Europe with her gradual transition as an Australian bobsleigh pilot.
This means front seat, memorising the tracks to steer and a massive jump in chasing fundraising leads for what is largely a self-funded sport for Australian athletes.
The Ararat export and four-time Stawell Women's Gift finalist had been fine-tuning her trade in bobsleigh as a brake person since 2019.
A world championship debut is on Blizzard's agenda, in German resort town Winterberg in late February, back on the brakes after half a season learning to pilot, primarily in the monobob.
"Competition is going well," Blizzard said.
"We started in Lillehammer on a new track which was six races in seven days, [it] was a lot to manage but also a lot of fun. This included my first two-man races as a pilot, too.
"I then went to Sigulda, Latvia, to compete in the monobob Europe Cup and came away with my first podium as a pilot with third place."
To compete in monobob as an Australian, Blizzard must hustle to purchase or rent her own sled - and sourcing a rental was rare.
She must also cover costs for van hire, extra equipment, accommodation, coaching and other incidentals.
But the shift in focus should also allow Blizzard greater flexibility in the sport.
Two years ago Blizzard contracted COVID-19, just before New Year's, and this effectively cost her a spot on the ice for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
In a tumultuous season, Blizzard had been sidelined with concussion at the start of competitions and came back to push a personal best in her second race before she was hit by the virus.
While Blizzard had managed to test negative to compete in the final European season's meet, the Australians had already re-shuffled their Olympic line-up with Blizzard going to the Games as an alternate.
Reddingius has been back in action this season, her first since the Olympics, with a North American training camp and world cup events in France and Austria alongside Olympic pilot Bree Walker.
Blizzard has continued to re-group and spent her 2023 off-season with sprinting and strength training based in Queensland.
Blizzard is preparing for a big start to the New Year for 2024 with a string of Europe Cup meets through Germany, Switzerland and Austria in both the mono and two-woman bobsleigh, leading into the world championships.
Anyone interested in sponsoring Blizzard to jump in the pilot seat can visit the Australian Sports Foundation projects page.
