Canadian Olympic bobsleigh team nominated for Milano Cortina 2026
CALGARY (January 23, 2026) – Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton and the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) have nominated the roster of Team Canada bobsleigh athletes selected to compete at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
Team Canada will have three sleds for the two-woman event, and two sleds for each of the women’s monobob, two-man and four-man events.
The bobsleigh athletes are:
Women’s Team
Cynthia Appiah* (Toronto, Ont.) – Women’s Pilot
Melissa Lotholz* (Barrhead, Alta.) – Women’s Pilot
Bianca Ribi (Calgary, Alta.) – Women’s Pilot
*will also compete in monobob
Kelsey Mitchell (Sherwood Park, Alta.) – Women’s Crew
Dawn Richardson-Wilson (Edmonton, Alta.) – Women’s Crew
Skylar Sieben (Cochrane, Alta.) – Women’s Crew
Niamh Haughey (Toronto, Ont.) – Women’s Alternate
Eden Wilson (Calgary, Alta.) – Women’s Alternate
Men’s Team
Taylor Austin* (Lethbridge, Alta.) – Men’s Pilot
Jay Dearborn* (Yarker, Ont.) – Men’s Pilot
Keaton Bruggeling (St. Catharines, Ont.) – Men’s Crew
Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson (Calgary, Alta.) – Men’s Crew
Mike Evelyn O’Higgins* (Ottawa, Ont.) – Men’s Crew
Shaq Murray-Lawrence* (Scarborough, Ont.) – Men’s Crew
Luka Stoikos (Stouffville, Ont.) – Men’s Crew
Mark Zanette (Woodbridge, Ont.) – Men’s Crew
*will also compete in two-man bobsleigh
Chris Holmstead (Burlington, Ont.) – Men’s Alternate
Melissa Lotholz will make her third Olympic appearance, and second as a pilot. Lotholz has been Canada’s most consistent pilot throughout the 2025-26 season with six top-six finishes in seven IBSF World Cup monobob races. A winner of 18 World Cup and two World Championship medals throughout her career, Lotholz competed at PyeongChang 2018 as a brakewoman before transitioning to the pilot’s seat.
“At the age of 12, I wrote in my journal asking God to make my ‘silly’ dream of competing at the Olympic Games come true. Even then that dream was tinged with grown-up realism and the belief the prestigious Olympic Games were pretty much impossible for someone like me from a small, humbling farming community,” said Lotholz. “Now 20 years later, I’m gearing up for my third Olympic Games. I’m completely blown away, in awe, and deeply humbled. What a privilege this is to represent our incredible country and so many people who have all contributed to this journey in some way. Like a farmer bringing their seeds to market to help feed the world, I’m celebrating a dream that I’ve seen multiplied. That is reflected in communities across Canada and seeing my teammates realizing their own dreams by putting on their Olympic jackets.”
Cynthia Appiah continues to have a dream year. Earlier this month, she captured a monobob silver medal at a World Cup stop in Winterberg, Germany, adding to a season that began with another lifelong goal: competing on the Jeopardy! game show. After serving as an alternate brakewoman at PyeongChang 2018, Appiah raced to two eighth-place finishes at Beijing 2022, in both the women’s monobob and the two-woman races.
Bianca Ribi will make her Olympic debut. The Calgary fire fighter charged onto the international bobsleigh season in 2022 where she won a gold medal in her first ever World Cup race at the Whistler Sliding Centre. Ribi has since competed on the World Cup circuit and has found strong success on the developmental circuits throughout the past three seasons. She earned Canada a third Olympic spot in the two-woman event during the last World Cup race weekend, where she delivered back-to-back 10th place results.
Lotholz and Appiah qualified to compete in the monobob races based on international rankings. All three pilots will compete in the two-woman race.
The three pilots will be powered by a deep pool of explosive brakewomen. Dawn Richardson-Wilson returns for her second Olympic Winter Games, while Kelsey Mitchell, Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion and two-time Olympian in track cycling, will make her Olympic Winter Games debut. Former heptathlete Skylar Sieben will make her Olympic debut.
Eden Wilson and Niamh Haughey have been named alternates and will accompany the team to Cortina.
Two Olympic veterans will pilot Canada’s sleds for both two-man and four-man action.
Taylor Austin secured his second trip to the Olympic Games as a pilot days after posting a season-best sixth-place finish in the World Cup four-man race in Altenberg, Germany. After making his Olympic debut in Beijing 2022, Austin began the journey to Milano Cortina 2026 with a bronze medal at the 2022-23 World Cup opener in Whistler, B.C.
Jay Dearborn, a former CFL defensive back, will also make his second Olympic appearance, but first as a pilot. Dearborn has been developing his driving skills over the last four years while competing on both the North American Cup and World Cup circuits. This season, he reached the podium in 12 of 14 North American Cup races.
A highly motivated crew of six brakemen from across the country will provide the power for the Canadian men’s sleds. Mike Evelyn O’Higgins will be the lone Canadian brakeman making his second Olympic appearance. He will lead a talented group on the brakes making their Olympic debuts in bobsleigh after transitioning from other sports. The crew includes: Hamilton Tiger Cats wide receiver, Keaton Bruggeling; a former diver who narrowly missed qualifying for Paris 2024, Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson; varsity football player, Luka Stoikos; another gridiron CFL pro, Shaq Murray-Lawrence; and former varsity baseball player, Mark Zanette.
Chris Holmstead, a former speed skater, will travel to the Games as the men’s alternate.
Canada’s Olympic medal-winning bobsleigh pilots – Justin Kripps and Lyndon Rush – along with four-time Olympian, Chris Spring, will provide coaching leadership for Team Canada’s bobsleigh athletes.
“Canada’s bobsleigh program is powered by our experienced leaders, fueled by the drive our newcomers bring to the sport and driven by the diversity that defines us as being truly Canadian with athletes selected to Team Canada from all corners of the country,” said Jesse Lumsden, high-performance director, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton. “This group of athletes are fiercely determined to achieve their performance goals, and deliver results on the ultimate sporting stage, while we continue to nurture and develop a deep pool of athletes in a healthy and supportive culture of excellence.”
Team Canada has won 10 Olympic bobsleigh medals since 1964 including five golds, two silver and three bronze.
The women’s monobob race will take place February 15-16, while the two-man bobsleigh competition will be contested February 16-17. The two-woman bobsleigh race will be held February 20-21, while the four-man sleds will hit the start line at the Cortina Sliding Centre, February 21-22 to close out the Olympic Winter Games schedule.
“A huge congratulations to the bobsleigh athletes who stayed focused under pressure and remained stable at high speed on the ice to earn a spot on the Olympic team,” said Jennifer Heil, Team Canada’s Milano Cortina 2026 Chef de Mission. “These athletes bring leadership, dedication, and energy both on the track and in the community, and I am sure that all Canadians are proud to be represented by athletes who give back and inspire positive change.”
Team Canada’s Milano Cortina 2026 bobsleigh team also includes the following coaches and support staff:
Justin Kripps (Summerland, B.C.) – Coach
Lyndon Rush (Sylvan Lake, Alta.) – Coach
Chris Spring (Whistler, B.C.) – Coach
Jesse Lumsden (Burlington, Ont.) – Team Leader
Kelsey Marshall – Therapist
Martins Mihnevics – Mechanic
Ryan Sommer (White Rock, B.C.) – Team Manager
Prior to being named to Team Canada, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by all National Sport Organizations.
The latest Team Canada roster can be found here and the qualification tracker can be found here.
Team Canada FanFest
Team Canada FanFest is back! Come celebrate and cheer on the athletes who will proudly represent Canada at Milano Cortina 2026. Join us for an immersive and festive experience, share unforgettable Olympic moments, and be part of Team Canada. Follow @TeamCanada on social for the latest news.
-30-
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Chris Dornan
Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton
C: 403-620-8731
E: hpprchris@shaw.ca
Arianne Cloux, Coordinator, Communications
Canadian Olympic Committee
C: 514-606-2441
E: acloux@olympic.ca