May 3, 2018
Cool as a Cucumber
Canadian Sport Institute Calgary – Hanging on the beach in Hawaii is often how Justin Kripps spends his time during the off-season, resting his body and mind after a gruelling year of training and competition. Time slows down and the doing of nothing serves to balance out the exceptional demands of being a high-performance athlete.
But Olympic Champions tend to be in high demand, so this year, Kripps, who won bobsleigh gold for Canada in PyeongChang, found himself thrust into a herculean dash across the country, fulfilling countless speaking engagements, school visits and Olympic celebrations. So, there was no time for the beach.
It didn’t bother the even-keeled bobsleigh pilot though, in fact he relished the opportunity to share his medal with Canadians. You might think that as a three-time Olympian, Kripps would have seen his fair share of Olympic medals, but instead he always kept his distance, harbouring a superstition that you don’t touch one until you earn your own.
Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Written by Kristina Groves: @kngrover
Photo by: Dave Holland @csicalgaryphoto
03/05/18