21 bobsleigh and skeleton athletes named to Canadian Olympic team, new sled design revealed
Sled design honours the Royal Canadian Navy
Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton named three skeleton athletes and 18 bobsleigh athletes to their Beijing 2022 Olympic team on Thursday, and revealed a new sled design that honours the Royal Canadian Navy.
The 21 total athletes have combined for 76 World Cup and five World Championship medals since the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics. Canada will be considered medal contenders in each of the bobsleigh disciplines, with strong teams that regularly finish at or near the top of the podium on the World Cup circuit.
Named to the skeleton team are Jane Channell and Mirela Rahneva on the women’s side, and Blake Enzie on the men’s side. Channell and Rahneva are heading to their second Olympics, while Enzie, just 20 years old, is heading to his first.
Channell and Rahneva have both won World Cup medals in their careers, while Channel also won silver in the skeleton mixed team event at the 2020 World Championships.
“Being named to my first Olympic Team is such a surreal moment. I’ve sacrificed so much and worked so hard for this goal, and for it to be achieved is such a magical thing,” said Enzie. “I remember watching the Vancouver 2010 Games as a kid and dreamt that one day I would be competing at the Olympics. Now that day has come.”
Rahneva was a part of the team that won silver in the mixed team event at the 2019 World Championships in Whistler, competing in the skeleton portion of the event. Also competing in that mixed event were a few members of this Beijing 2022 bobsleigh team.
The women’s doubles bobsleigh duo of Christine de Bruin and Kristen Bujnowski were on that 2019 team, and have been nominated together as one of Canada’s three two-woman sleds.
“Four years ago, I was selected to be an alternate at the 2018 Games. I have many great memories from that experience, but I knew I was capable of more,” said Bujnowski in a press release. “I have been motivated ever since to be on the start line in 2022 rather than at the side of the track. It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I am proud to be named to Team Canada and now have the opportunity to compete in Beijing. It is honestly a dream come true.”
Cynthia Appiah and Dawn Richardson Wilson make up the second duo, and Melissa Lotholz and Sara Villani are in the third sled. Erica Voss and Niamh Haughey are the two alternates in case anyone can’t compete.
De Bruin and Appiah will also complete in the first ever monobob event, as the sport is set to make its debut in 2022. Appiah finished third overall in the World Cup standings this season, and De Bruin finished one spot behind her.
On the men’s side, Canada is sending three teams to Beijing, including one being piloted by 2018 Olympic two-man champion Justin Kripps. Christopher Spring and Taylor Austin are the other two pilots.
Ben Coakwell, Ryan Sommer and Cam Stones are the brakemen for Kripps. They were second in the four-man standings this season, while Kripps and Stones were also second in the two-man discipline.
Mike Evelyn, Sam Giguere and Cody Sorensen make up Spring’s crew, while Austin pilots a crew made up of Jay Dearborn, Chris Patrician and Daniel Sunderland.
Cyrus Gray and Shaquille Murray-Lawrence are the two alternates for the Canadian men.
Gigure and Murray-Lawrence are both former Canadian Football League players, while Dearborn is currently a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The new sled design for the Canadian bobsleigh team was also revealed. The design honours the Royal Canadian Navy, and uses its Admiralty Disruptive Paint, which “honours the sacrifices Canadian sailors made in the Second World War and the Battle of the Atlantic and celebrates those who continue to serve today,” according to a press release from Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton. It can be seen in the images below.
“Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton is tremendously proud to be associated with the Royal Canadian Navy, which has a long, strong and honourable tradition of supporting and defending our country.” said Sarah Storey, President of Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton, in a press release. “Whether on the ice or at sea, the distinction of putting on a Canadian uniform drives commitment to the training, preparation, perseverance and teamwork required to perform under immense pressure while representing your country.
“Sailors and athletes apply their tremendous skill – while working with specialized and purposefully designed equipment – to execute their missions with precision. We are united by the goal of making our team unstoppable, and our country proud.”
Canada has won nine Olympic bobsleigh medals and four Olympic skeleton medals. In 2018, Justin Kripps and Alexander Kopacz shared the two-man bobsleigh gold medal with the leading German duo of Francesco Friedrich and Thorsten Margis.
In the two-women bobsleigh event, Kaillie Humphries and Phylicia George picked up bronze, but Humphries has since switched to representing the United States instead.
Skeleton events will take place between February 10-12, while bobsleigh events will take place from February 13–20. All of the races will take place at the Yanqing Sliding Centre.
“I am so pleased to welcome the bobsleigh and skeleton athletes that will be sliding for Canada in Beijing,” said Catriona Le May Doan, Team Canada’s Beijing 2022 Chef de Mission, in a press release. “This team brings with it incredible leadership, experience and resilience. The veterans have been wonderful role models for the rookies and we are so excited to see you compete in Beijing. Canada has been a force on the international stage since 2018 and we will be cheering you all on in the beautiful sleds that represent the partnership with the Royal Canadian Navy. We celebrate all of those that dare to wear the maple leaf.”
The full list of nominated athletes and coaches:
Skelelton:
Jane Channell – Women’s Skeleton
Blake Enzie – Men’s Skeleton
Mirela Rahneva – Women’s Skeleton
Keith Loach – Coach
Ivo Steinbergs – Coach
Women’s bobsleigh:
Christine de Bruin – Women’s Pilot
Kristen Bujnowski – Women’s Crew
Cynthia Appiah – Women’s Pilot
Dawn Richardson Wilson – Women’s Crew
Melissa Lotholz – Women’s Pilot
Sara Villani – Women’s Crew
Erica Voss – Alternate
Niamh Haughey – Alternate
Men’s bobsleigh
Justin Kripps – Men’s Pilot
Ben Coakwell – Men’s Crew
Ryan Sommer – Men’s Crew
Cam Stones – Men’s Crew
Christopher Spring – Men’s Pilot
Mike Evelyn – Men’s Crew
Sam Giguere – Men’s Crew
Cody Sorensen – Men’s Crew
Taylor Austin – Men’s Pilot
Jay Dearborn – Men’s Crew
Chris Patrician – Men’s Crew
Daniel Sunderland – Men’s Crew
Cyrus Gray – Alternate
Shaquille Murray-Lawrence – Alternate
Todd Hays – Head Coach
Jamie McCartney – Coach
Elfje Willemsen – Coach
Lyndon Rush – Coach
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