Taylor Austin at the opening ceremony for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, Feb. 6, 2026. (Image Credit: International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge’s Taylor Austin ‘absolutely’ ready for Olympic competition

Feb 9, 2026 | 9:41 AM

It is the highest level of competition for bobsleigh in the world, and a man from southern Alberta is gearing up for the gold.

Taylor Austin will compete in two-man and four-man bobsleigh events at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

He and his team arrived in Italy on February 1.

This is his second time competing in the Olympics, making his debut in the 2022 Games in Beijing. He finished 20th and 23rd in the two-man and four-man events, respectively.

In China, Austin says they walked into a massive stadium for the opening ceremonies and were greeted with a big roar, which caused a surge of emotions.

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Austin says it was quite a different experience this time.

“This one, being in the village of Cortina, we actually walked down the street, so it was pretty interactive and pretty intimate with all the locals there and the fans there to support us, so it was a pretty special moment,” says Austin.

“You’re waving to the cameras and waving to the crowds, but then as we continued walking down the street, you realize this moment is bigger than you, and you got to enjoy with all the fans and all the visitors and spectators there cheering you on. I was trying to high-five as many people and acknowledge as many people as I could on my way down the street to try to make it as memorable for them as it was for me.”

Austin tells LNN that the bobsleigh team has split their time between training and enjoying the Olympic festivities so far.

They took in the Canada vs. Switzerland mixed doubles curling event on Monday.

He adds that there has been a lot of snow in northern Italy, which has helped to make it truly feel like the Winter Olympics.

Austin says the Athletes’ Village is essentially “a bunch of ATCO trailers” that have been retrofitted to be housing. The units have two rooms, each with two beds, an armoire, and “very little shelving.”

Unlike the 2024 Games in Paris, they have real beds with standard frames and mattresses, not ones made of cardboard.

“I think they did a really good job retrofitting it to make it as nice as possible,” says Austin.

The Village also features a central dining hall and two gyms.

It has been a long journey for Austin to get to this point.

The 36-year-old was born and raised in Lethbridge, graduating from Catholic Central High School.

He moved to Calgary to play for the Calgary Colts for four years, a member of the Canadian Junior Football League.

His transition from football to bobsleigh happened one or two years after the Vancouver Olympics in 2010.

Somebody called him while he was at work and told him that there was a bobsled track in Calgary and asked if he wanted to go.

Despite not enjoying it at first, he grew to love it.

“Most of us have that, like, competitiveness in ourselves, and we try to be the best we can. Sometimes, that competitiveness means hurling yourself down the track at 150 kilometres an hour, and that’s enjoyable for some people,” says Austin.

He would go on to compete at the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) world championships four times between 2019 and 2025.

Austin won three gold medals (one in two-man events and two in four-man) at the 2025 Pan American Championships, as well as one bronze in the two-man race.

He will compete in two-man bobsleigh events on Feb. 16 and 17, and four-man competition on Feb. 21 and 22.

The full bobsleigh schedule can be found here.

READ MORE: Lethbridge-born Taylor Austin competing at 2026 Olympics