Kelsey Mitchell has become part of a distinguished group of Canadian athletes who have participated in both the summer and winter Olympic Games. The track cycling gold medalist was recently announced as a member of Canada’s bobsled team for the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Games.
Hailing from Sherwood Park, Alberta, the 32-year-old clinched the sprint cycling gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Mitchell was chosen to be part of Canada’s bobsled brakewomen lineup. Among the 14 athletes who have represented Canada in both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games, Mitchell stands as the sixth bobsledder.
Expressing her excitement, Mitchell mentioned, “I think there’s going to be 14 of us now in Canada who have done it, and to be a part of that group is special.” She further added, “It’s always special to be going to the Olympics, and so to be able to have gone to the summer and now the winter as well is just, yeah, I don’t even have the words.”
Cyclist and speedskater Clara Hughes remains the only Canadian athlete to have secured medals in both the Summer and Winter Games. Mitchell, who also competed in cycling at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, made the transition to the bobsleigh team last year.
Reflecting on her journey, Mitchell stated, “I’ve learned a lot going to the Games. I have to just tell myself it’s another race, and that’s what it will be in Cortina for me.” She aims to leverage her experience and expertise from previous Games to support her teammates and navigate the challenges of the upcoming Winter Games.
The 2026 Olympic bobsleigh team comprises 17 athletes, including three alternates. Canada has qualified three sleds in women’s bobsled, as well as two each in women’s monobob, two-man, and four-man events. Medal outcomes in each event are determined based on the combined times from four runs at the Cortina Sliding Centre.
Notable athletes like Melissa Lotholz of Barrhead, Alberta, and Cynthia Appiah of Toronto will be piloting women’s sleds and competing in monobob. Bianca Ribi, a Calgary firefighter, secured a spot for a third women’s sled during the final World Cup races of the qualifying period.
Accompanying Mitchell as brakewomen are Edmonton’s Dawn Richard-Wilson and Skylar Sieben from Cochrane, Alberta. Lethbridge’s Taylor Austin will be piloting two-man and four-man sleds in his second Olympic appearance. Additionally, former CFL defensive back Jay Dearborn will pilot two sleds.
The team also includes a lineup of brakemen such as Keaton Bruggeling from St. Catharines, Ontario, Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson from Calgary, and Mike Evelyn O’Higgins from Ottawa. Toronto’s Niamh Haughey, Calgary’s Eden Wilson, and Chris Holmstead from Burlington, Ontario, have been selected as alternates.
Eskrick-Parkinson, who switched from representing Jamaica in diving to Canada’s bobsleigh team, expressed his joy about realizing his Olympic dream in a different sport. He commented, “It’s hard to put into words because it’s such an achievement. I still wish I had been able to do it with diving.”
Canada has amassed a total of 10 Olympic bobsleigh medals since 1964, including five golds, two silvers, and three bronzes. The country has consistently secured at least one bobsleigh medal in every Olympic Games since 2006. The women’s bobsled event made its Olympic debut in 2002, followed by women’s monobob in 2022.
Lotholz and Appiah are currently ranked sixth and seventh in the world, respectively, in monobob. Both athletes are aiming for strong performances and potential medal contention at the upcoming Winter Games. Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton high-performance director Jesse Lumsden emphasized the team’s capability and the importance of consistency for success at major competitions.