Canada’s skeleton team for the upcoming Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics consists of two newcomers and one experienced athlete. Hallie Clarke, a 21-year-old rookie from Brighton, Ont., has already achieved international success by winning the world women’s championship in 2024 and the women’s world junior title in 2025. Clarke’s dream of competing in the Olympics began at a young age when she watched Canadian ice dance duo Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir in the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.
Jane Channell from North Vancouver, B.C., will be participating in her third Olympic Games at the age of 37. Channell’s interest in skeleton was sparked when she watched the sport in the 2002 Olympic Games with her grandfather, who expressed disbelief at the athletes’ daring. Channell considers herself a product of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler, where she had the opportunity to train on the Olympic sliding track.
Josip Brusic, a 23-year-old who only started skeleton less than four years ago, is thrilled to be an Olympian. The upcoming skeleton event in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, is scheduled to take place from Feb. 12-15. Notably, the last Olympic skeleton medal for Canada was Jon Montgomery’s gold in Whistler in 2010.
The Canadian women’s skeleton team faced scrutiny before the Olympics when accusations were made against Canada’s head coach, Joe Cecchini, by U.S. slider Katie Uhlaender. However, an investigation by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation’s Integrity Unit found that Canada did not violate any rules or codes. The decision to withdraw athletes from a race in Lake Placid was made to prioritize their well-being as they were young athletes competing at a developmental level.
Channell expressed confidence in the National Sport Organization and emphasized their commitment to fair play. The Canadian sliders, along with their coaches, are focused on the upcoming Games and have chosen to refrain from further comments on the issue until after the Olympics. Clarke, Channell, and Brusic are set to represent Canada, with Clarke ranked 13th globally, Channell 25th among women, and Brusic 23rd among men.
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