Oluseyi Smith told the Ottawa Sports Page last fall his goal on the track was Olympic or World Championships medals. The former Lion sprinter briefly realized that goal six years ago during the London 2012 4 x 100m relay before it was so infamously stripped away due to a lane violation.
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Today, the 30 year old Smith was given another shot at Olympic glory as he was named to Team Canada for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Pyeonchang, South Korea where he is expected to compete in the four man bobsleigh event.
After failing to make the Rio Olympics, Smith stepped away from the track, focusing on his career as an electrical engineer with AltaLink in Calgary, his training base for the final three years of his track career. When his coach there suggested giving bobsleigh a go, he was all in.
While Smith’s track speed is desired in the world of bobsleigh, he was quick to admit, “pushing a sled is very, very different from running,” when he spoke with OSP back in November. Nonetheless, the Brookfield High School graduate has contributed immensely to driver Justin Kripps team this season, helping push them to two World Cup podium finishes.
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Smith will become the sixth Lion to represent Canada at the Winter Olympics in the sport of bobsleigh, the most recent being former hurdler Cody Sorenson who competed four years ago in Sochi. Smith also become the second dual sport Olympian, following in Glenroy Gilbert’s footsteps – his former coach.
The first two runs of the four man competition are scheduled to take place February 24th at 9:30am local time (7:30pm February 23rd in Ottawa).
