Queens and Kings of Canadian Bobsleigh Crowned in Whistler

WHISTLER, B.C.—Four different sleds slid to the top of the podium as Canada’s women’s and men’s bobsleigh athletes kicked off the 2024-25 racing season with the Canadian Championships at the Whistler Sliding Centre.

Two-time Olympian, Melissa Lotholz, defended her women’s monobob title while Mackenzie Stewart and Leah Walkeden slid into the winner’s circle in the two-woman race. Pat Norton joined forces with CFL’er Keaton Bruggeling to secure their first two-man national title. Olympian Taylor Austin captained his four-man crew of Shane Ohrt, Mark Zanette and Chris Ashley to a golden celebration of their own.

Lotholz, of Barrhead, Alta., rocketed to monobob gold after posting a combined time of 1:53:29 in her two trips down the lightning-quick 16-corner Whistler chute.

“Coming out and winning is a really great way to start the season. It was really important for me to come out and win, and to do it by a big margin - .59 hundredths – in my comeback after taking a season off, and then last year slidinig on the development circuit, to earn my way back onto the World Cup,” said Lotholz, who also unofficially pushed a new start record. “This was a huge confidence booster for me. I’m here to compete this year. I surprised myself yesterday by not only putting down two great runs, but also having the fastest starts in the field in our women’s race where we have multiple high-calibre ladies in the Canadian program. I’m excited to build on this.”

Toronto’s Erica Voss was next best in the single sled sliding to the

silver medal position. Calgary’s Bianca Ribi, who won her World Cup monobob debut two years ago in Whistler, placed third .61 seconds behind the leading pace.

The Ottawa duo of Pat Norton and Keaton Bruggeling set the time to beat at 1:47:36 in the two-man. Fresh off the CFL season, Bruggeling provided the horsepower to help Norton rocket down Blackcomb Mountain in a two-run time of 1:47.36.

“It feels great to start the season off with a win, especially on a challenging track. I feel fortunate to be able to spend the pre-season getting reps on our only track in Canada before heading into international competition,” said Norton. “The adaptation to the speed on the fastest track in the world, along with technical driving, pays dividends for us during the racing season. I’m honoured to walk away with the win, especially in a field with talented seasoned veterans on this track and developing drivers with big starts.”

Another CFL’er, Jay Dearborn from Yaker, Ont., teamed up with Edmonton’s Kenny M’Pindou for second place. Dearborn, a 2022 Olympian who has since jumped into the driver’s seat, finished .91 seconds behind Team Norton. Cyrus Gray (Duncan, B.C.) and CFL alumni, Shaq Murray-Lawrence (Scarborough, Ont.), placed third.

New champions were also crowned on the back end of the two-day event. 

Mackenzie Stewart, of Madeira Park, B.C., and Leah Walkeden (Edmonton) were the queens of two-woman bobsleigh test. Stewart led wire-to-wire, piloting the sled to a combined time of 1:49.43.

“It felt really good to see myself in first after the opening heat. I knew I was capable of it, but it was emotional seeing it come to life. I’ve been the underdog because of my push for the last two years, but to trust myself and have Leah believe in me and jump onboard made this win so much more rewarding,” said an emotional Stewart after being greeted at the bottom of the hil by her teammates after surpassing her pre-race goal of simply being in the medal conversation.

“I needed to bring things back to me after the first run and have fun. I had a medium second run, a few mistakes, and a bit of spiraling, but overall, we kept it on track and came out with the win.”

Toronto-based Olympian, Cynthia Appiah, battled to second spot with bobsleigh rookie Skylar Sieben. The newly-formed duo posted top-two start times and the fastest second-run down time to claim the silver medal at 1:49.73. Erica Voss snagged her second podium of the week with Calgary’s Morgan Ramsay on the brakes, clocking a third-place time of 1:49.79.

Olympian Taylor Austin piloted his newly-created crew of Shane Ohrt, Mark Zanette and Chris Ashley to the national four-man title after crossing the finish line at 1:45.50.

“It was a good race and a great first competition of the season,” said Austin, who won a World Cup four-man bronze medal in Whistler just two years ago. “Getting the guys exposed to racing has been eye-opening for them, and I’m looking forward to building on this going into the first North America’s Cup race next week.”

Pat Norton, Keaton Bruggeling, Josh Langford and Luke Puto teamed up to finish second at 1:46.75, while Jay Dearborn, D’andre Clarke-Bastien, Tobi Ade and Kenny M’Pindou rounded out the big sled podium with a time of 1:47.92.

The 2024-25 National Bobsleigh Team will be named on November 18.

Bobsleigh CANADA Skeleton is a non-profit organization and the national governing body for the sports of bobsleigh and skeleton in Canada. With the support of its valued corporate partners – Karbon, Athabasca Oil Corporation in collaboration with Canada Actions I Love Energy, Joe Rocket and Driving Force – along with the Government of Canada, Own the Podium and the Canadian Olympic Committee, Bobsleigh CANADA Skeleton develops champions in the community, on and off the track, who have a passion for bobsleigh and skeleton. Please visit us at www.bobsleighcanadaskeleton.ca.