Kripps, de Bruin, Appiah headline formidable Canadian bobsleigh team at Beijing Games

Canada boasts a strong bobsleigh team for the 2022 Beijing Olympics that is headlined by a reigning two-man Olympic champion and medal contenders in both women's events.

Featuring five sleds that finished ranked in the top four in the various World Cup disciplines, Canada's Olympic squad is poised to reach the podium for the fifth straight Games.

Canada has won nine Olympic medals in bobsleigh, including five gold, with its first podium appearance coming in 1964. Canadians came through with a solid performance at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where they captured two-man gold and two-woman bronze.

Canada has qualified the maximum number of sleds for the upcoming Olympics, with three each in the four-man, two-man and two-woman competitions. Canada will also have two sleds in the inaugural monobob competition (single-woman sled).

Meanwhile, three skeleton athletes were also nominated for the Olympics for the event in which Canadian have reached four podiums, including two gold medals.

2-man, 4-man competitions

Beijing-bound pilot Justin Kripps tied for Olympic gold in the two-man competition in 2018 with dominant German Francesco Friedrich, and the 35-year-old from Summerland, B.C, is a favourite to reach the podium once again in his fourth Olympic appearance.

Kripps won four World Cup two-man medals this season, with one silver and three bronze. Partnered with brakeman Cam Stones of Whitby, Ont., Kripps captured a two-man Crystal Globe by finishing top three in the World Cup standings — with his sled finishing second behind Friedrich.

The Canadian duo has strong medal chances in Beijing, and they are coming off a World Cup finale in St. Moritz, Switzerland, this month that saw them set a new track record (1:05.80).

Kripps will also pilot his crew of brakemen Stones, Ryan Sommer and Ben Coakwell as Canada's best medal chance in the four-man competition.

The sled finished second in the World Cup standings behind Friedrich after winning a silver medal and two bronze.

The German juggernaut is also an Olympic medal favourite in the four-man after winning gold in six of seven World Cup races this season.

Calgary pilot Christopher Spring will also be returning for his fourth Olympics, competing in both the two- and four-man events. Spring's four-man crew consists of 2014 Olympian Cody Sorensen, Mike Evelyn and former Canadian Football League receiver Samuel Giguere.

WATCH l Kripps reflects on his Olympic triumph in Pyeongchang:

2-woman competition

Stony Plain, Alta., native Christine de Bruin is a serious medal threat in the two-woman competition with brakewoman Kristen Bujnowski of Mount Brydges, Ont.

The duo won four World Cup bronze medals this season while finishing fourth in the standings, and they finished third at an Olympic test event in Beijing last October.

"It's been an incredible journey so far, and I am proud to be named to Team Canada and now have the opportunity to compete in Beijing. It is honestly a dream come true," Bujnowski said.

De Bruin placed seventh with Melissa Lotholz of Barrhead, Alta., at her first Olympics in 2018, while Bujnowski served as an alternate.

Toronto's Cynthia Appiah will also be competing on the Olympic stage for Canada in the the two-woman competition with brakewoman Dawn Richardson Wilson of Edmonton.

Lotholz, who finished eighth in the World Cup standings, will be Canada's third women's pilot in the event with brakewoman Sara Villani of Norval, Ont.

Canadian-born Kaillie Humphries will be piloting a sled for the U.S. with hopes of winning her fourth Olympic medal in the discipline after finishing fifth in the World Cup standings.

Humphries, a Calgary native, is the last Canadian woman bobsledder to win an Olympic medal, having captured two-woman gold with Canada in 2018 before falling out with the national team.

WATCH l De Bruin, Bujnowski capture World Cup 2-woman bronze in Latvia:

Women's monobob

De Bruin and Appiah will also lead Canada's medal chances in women's monobob as the sport makes its Olympic debut in Beijing. Appiah is coming off a standout rookie World Cup season that saw her finish third in the standings — one spot ahead of de Bruin.

Appiah won a pair of silver and bronze medals while also finishing in the top five of all seven of her races, and de Bruin captured back-to-back gold medals in December and January.

Humphries will be a strong medal favourite for the U.S. in monobob, as she finished second in the World Cup standings with four podium finishes and two gold medals.

WATCH l Appiah caps solid World Cup monobob season with bronze win:

Skeleton squad

Veterans Jane Channell and Mirela Rahneva return for their second Games after debuting in Pyeongchang.

Channell, the 33-year-old from North Vancouver, B.C., counts four World Cup medals on her ledger, including bronze in Germany in 2021. She placed 10th at the 2018 Olympics.

Rahneva, also 33, finished two spots behind Channell in Korea, but has earned six of her 11 World Cup podiums since then, including a pair of gold medals in 2019.

The Ottawa native appears to be in good form heading into Beijing, having taken a pair of bronze medals in Switzerland and Germany this season.

Meanwhile, Blake Enzie is the lone Canadian male headed to China. The 20-year-old Olympic rookie ranks 31st in the world skeleton rankings.

"Being named to my first Olympic Team is such a surreal moment. I've sacrificed so much and worked so hard for this goal, and for it to be achieved is such a magical thing," Enzie said.

Full bobsleigh team

Men

• Justin Kripps — Summerland, B.C. (two-man, four-man)

• Cam Stones — Whitby, Ont. (two-man, four-man)

• Ryan Sommer — White Rock, B.C. (four-man)

• Ben Coakwell — Saskatoon (four-man)

• Christopher Spring — Calgary (two-man, four-man)

• Cody Sorensen — Ottawa (four-man)

• Mike Evelyn — Ottawa (four-man)

• Samuel Giguere — Sherbrooke, Que. (four-man)

• Taylor Austin — Calgary (two-man, four-man)

• Jay Dearborn — Yaker, Ont. (four-man)

• Chris Patrician — Toronto (four-man)

• Daniel Sunderland — Calgary (four-man)

Women

• Cynthia Appiah — Toronto (two-woman, monobob)

• Dawn Richardson Wilson — Edmonton (two-woman)

• Christine de Bruin — Stony Plain, Alta. (two-woman, monobob)

• Kristen Bujnowski — Mount Brydges, Ont. (two-woman)

• Melissa Lotholz — Barrhead, Alta. (two-woman)

• Sara Villani — Norval, Ont. (two-woman)

Full skeleton team

Men

• Blake Enzie — Calgary

Women

• Jane Channell — North Vancouver, B.C.

• Mirela Rahneva — Ottawa