“All I knew about bobsleighing was what I had seen on TV or from the film ‘Cool Runnings’,’’ she says with a bright smile. Nor was she particularly interested in winter sports.Īnd she had never paid much attention to bob racing. Until two years ago, Melanie never thought of herself as a winter person.
She liked playing volleyball, and trained and competed consistently in warm environments – on sand or indoors. She could jump high, she was good at blocking balls, and so she started playing for the Swiss National B League when she was just 15 years old. She took up volleyball, and her talent and physical strength became quickly apparent. She and her three older siblings were always encouraged to play sports by their parents. Melanie grew up in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. At least not in a winter sport, let alone in bob racing. That has not always been a dream of hers. Her biggest dream is to participate at the Olympic Winter Games, hopefully in 2022 in Beijing. She combines all the attributes that a professional bobsleigher needs: skill, speed, strength - and fearlessness. Thanks to her talent and ambition, she is also the country’s brightest bobsleigh hope.
Sport has always been important in her life – but never winter sportsĪt 20 years of age, Melanie is currently one of Switzerland’s youngest female bobsleigh drivers competing at professional level.
And finding the ideal pathway down the track, taking advantage of the centrifugal force that maintains the bob through the banked curves. Melanie knows that every fraction of a second counts. As the pilot she is in charge of bringing that gravity-powered, two-woman bobsleigh down the narrow, twisting ice track, reaching speeds of up to 135 kilometre per hour. Today is an important day for her: she is competing at the annual Swiss Bobsleigh Championships. Melanie stands at the top of the legendary St.
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