The former Stawell Gift competitor has just completed her third winter in Europe as a bobsledder - competing in world cups across the continent in a bid for her spot in the Games.

Although there is a feeling of elation within the Blizzard camp, there have been some setbacks during the 2021-22 season which have left Blizzard named as the alternate break person instead of the primary.

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The team consists of Bree Walker who has been selected as the pilot for bobsled and mono bob and main brake-person Kiara Reddingius and Blizzard.

Blizzard said despite the setbacks of the season, she was looking forward to the excitement and the buzz the games will bring.

"Of course, I hope I get my chance to compete but at the same time I really hope and will be cheering, for everything to go smoothly and I'm not needed," she said.

"I've done absolutely everything to make everything happen to be able to compete at the games this year.

"I've had a lot of bad luck this season. I don't think I could have had any more bad luck than I did. It has meant I couldn't get down a solid performance to be the main brake person."

"I think the situation will light a fire in my belly. I think it will give me a lot of motivation to make sure I'm racing at the next games as the number one brake person.

"The plan will be across the next four years to do everything possible to make that happen - keep improving and keep laying down solid performances for those races, not just before the games."

Despite the setbacks of the season, Blizzard said there were still highlights from the 2021-22 season.

"We had a race at Winterberg and I was only going in one of the heats that day because our other brake person was doing the others," she said.

"We pushed and unfortunately we crashed in that heat so you could imagine how we were feeling.

"We've come back up and our coach told us our push time and I literally jumped around with excitement because I was so happy with the time of our push and the improvement we've had.

"It was only my second race. I had hardly slid all season. I got a concussion at the start of the season so to come back and push a PB in only my second race and without that much sliding, I was so excited. I completely forgot I just crashed."

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Blizzard said another highlight for the season was the fact she was able to make it back for one of the last races at the end of the season after contracting COVID-19.

"Just before New Years I tested positive to COVID which is really a big part of the reason why I wasn't selected as the main brake person," she said.

"A week before the last race of the season I was getting so many COVID tests to try and get a negative one to be able to come back onto the circuit. It was very expensive - they aren't free over here.

"I was negative in time to compete in the last race - St. Moritz, Switzerland is the only natural bob sled track in the world and it's just beautiful there.

"I was so happy to be there and slide and race there. I love sliding at that track as well.

"I was happy to get one last race in. It's why you do sport - to compete. All that training is for the races so I'm glad I got to race after the season of setbacks I had.

"It was a tough season as I couldn't race when I was in the best shape and had so much preparation going into the season."

After another winter in Europe, Blizzard will pack up and head to Beijing for the games before coming home to Australia until the season starts again.

"Due to COVID restrictions and the bubbles in place I will be staying on-site at Beijing with the team," she said.

"That normally doesn't happen so in some ways I am lucky I guess - I can experience most things part of the games."

This story Blizzard set for Beijing Winter Games was originally published on The Wimmera Mail-Times

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