Toronto (RWH) With a team of 28 athletes, Canada starts the Olympic season in BMW IBSF World Cup. That was announced by the federation Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton after the official team nominations in Toronto.

Canada has three World Cup spots in men’s and women’s skeleton, respectively. The women’s team includes Jane Channell, Mirela Rahneva, who finished third overall in BMW IBSF World Cup last winter and 2016 World Championships bronze medallist Elisabeth Vathje. In men’s skeleton, Kevin Boyer, Barrett Martineau and Dave Greszczyszyn will start for Canada.

In women’s bobsleigh, 2010 and 2014 Olympic gold medallist Kaillie Humphries teams up with Melissa Lotholz and Cynthia Appiah. Alysia Rissling and Christine De Bruin will also pilot women’s sleds for the World Cup opener in Lake Placid (USA) on November 9-10. Canada’s NextGen Team includes push athletes Catherine Medeiros, Kristine Bujnowski and Olympic hurdler Phylicia George.

Canada’s accomplished trio of pilots in men’s bobsleigh includes World Championships silver medallist in 2-man bob Justin Kripps, Chris Spring and Nick Poloniato, teaming up with Lascelles Brown, Jesse Lumsden Neville Wright, Alex Kopacz, Joshua Kirkpatrick, Ben Coakwell, Derek Plug, Tim Randall, Cameron Stones, Joey Nemet and Olympic sprinter Oluseyi Smith. ©RWH2017

Photo: Viesturs Lacis