Queenslander Jackie Narracott wins Olympic Silver

Northern Brisbane’s Jackie Narracott has won silver in Saturday night's Skeleton competition in Beijing to take Australia's 2022 Winter Olympic Games medal count to four.

The Queenslander’s win is Australia’s first ever medal in an Olympic sliding event.

Sport Minister and Member for Sandgate Stirling Hinchliffe said the 31-year-old from Bracken Ridge - supported by the Queensland Academy of Sport and the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia - had achieved a scintillating series of four runs down the treacherous circuit.

“Jackie has been fearless in conquering the world’s best in Beijing,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

“Congratulations on a terrific medal winning performance, Queenslanders everywhere are proud of your achievement.

“It’s terrific to see Jackie join a growing number of elite Queensland athletes doing well on the world stage.”

Skeleton involves descending face-first down an ice track in a specially created sled at speeds up to 145km/h, with the winner having the best combined time over four heats.

Jackie held a 0.21 second lead after her first two runs on Friday and showed nerves of ice as she produced two more flawless runs to cement her place into Winter Olympic folklore.

“A silver medal for Queensland at the 2022 Winter Olympics is a great reminder if you’ve got talent, determination and willpower, you never know what you might achieve,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

“I hope Jackie’s silver will inspire more talented young athletes to take up a sport they otherwise may have never considered. 

“There's a golden opportunity for talented and determined young Queenslanders to start preparing now to realise their dream of competing on the world stage, at home at Brisbane’s 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Jackie is the niece of Paul Narracott, the first Australian to line up at a Summer and Winter Olympic Games to compete in sprinting and bobsleigh.

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