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Aussie Narracott wins first Skeleton gold

3 minute read

Australia has a new global champion with Jackie Narracott winning the country's first World Cup gold medal in Skeleton at St Moritz.

Jackie Narracott has become the first Australian to win a World Cup gold medal in Skeleton, or any sliding sport, with a dazzling performance in Switzerland.

The 2018 Olympian had an amazing first run breaking the track record with a time of 1:08.72 seconds to shock the field in St Moritz.

Displaying nerves of steel as the final competitor in the second run, Narracott nailed her win with the second fastest run of the round to cross the line in first place with a two-run combined time of 2:17.56 seconds.

It was 0.06 seconds ahead of second-place finisher and new World Cup champion Kimberley Bos of the Netherlands, with Canadian Mirela Rahneva third.

"I knew today I had the potential to go fast but didn't think quite that fast," said the 31-year-from Queensland.

"This has been going for so long, I'm just like there are no words, it's a perfect day in a perfect place.

"I really hope this might be the catalyst to get a few more girls in the sport and hopefully some more funding so we can have a coach and be competitive.

"We are proving this year that we have the athletes, it's just having the foundations behind us to give us a chance."

The breakthrough win smashes Narracott's previous personal best World Cup finish of seventh, which she achieved in Lake Placid, USA, in 2016.

Narracott will now return to her overseas base in the United Kingdom to prepare for the Beijing Olympic Winter Games.