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Summerland bobsleigh athlete joins Canadian coaching staff

Justin Kripps has competed in four Winter Olympic games
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Justin Kripps will join the coaching staff of Canada’s National Bobsleigh Team. (Bobsleigh Canada Skelton photo)

Summerland Olympian Justin Kripps may have retired from bobsleigh competitions, but he will continue to work with the sport.

Bobsleigh Canada Skelton has announced that Kripps will rejoin the National Bobsleigh Team as the program’s new technical coach.

READ ALSO: Kripps retires from bobsleigh competition

Kripps, 35, is the only Canadian to pilot both a two-man and four-man sled to the Olympic podium.

“Justin achieved his success at the international level while developing through the Canadian system – first as a brakeman and then as a pilot – and will now look to do the same as a coach,” said Chris Le Bihan, high-performance director, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton.

Kripps joined the Canadian bobsleigh team in 2006 and competed in Olympic action in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022.

He tied for Olympic gold in the two-man competition in PyeongChang, South Korea, during the 2018 Winter Olympics. Kripps and Alexander Kopacz tied with the German team of Fransesco Friedrich and Thorsten Margis in this event.

In the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Kripps and his team earned the bronze in the four-man bobsleigh event.

“I’m extremely excited to take on this new role and pass on the knowledge I’ve accumulated over my career,” said Kripps.

“I think coaching is the best way for me to have a positive impact on the next generation of athletes. I’m looking forward to working with the program and our team of coaches to help all of these athletes achieve their own performance goals and dreams while developing my own skills as a coach.”

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John Arendt

About the Author: John Arendt

John Arendt has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years. He has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism degree from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
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