The Canadian Olympic team made it official Tuesday, Cochrane’s Tristan Walker is sliding for Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.
Walker, and men’s doubles sliding partner Justin Snith of Calgary, are on the Canadian luge team headed to Sochi in February.
“Today is a fantastic day for the Canadian Luge Association and for the Olympic movement in Canada,” said Marcel Aubut, Canadian Olympic Committee president, during the Dec. 17 announcement at WinSport in Calgary. “Congratulations to the amazing athletes nominated onto the Canadian Olympic team. Your hard work and dedication has paid off and we look forward to cheering you on in Sochi.”
For their part, Walker and Snith have been flying on the World Cup luge circuit in the build-up to the Olympics. The sizzling sliders have claimed two silver medals in World Cup team relay at Innsbruck, Igls, Austria and Whistler, B.C.
Most recently, teamed with women’s singles luger Alex Gough and men’s singles slider Samuel Edney, they took fourth in the Dec. 14 team relay event at Park City, Utah.
Walker and Snith currently sit seventh in World Cup doubles standings.
“This is the strongest team of medal contenders the nation has ever assembled in the sport of luge,” said Tim Farstad, executive director of the Canadian Luge Association. “Over the last four years, this group has demonstrated they can perform under the most intense pressure, and win medals at the highest level.”
The lugers will break for the holidays before returning to the World Cup circuit in Germany starting Jan. 4 in Konigssee.
The Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games take place Feb. 7-23 in the Russian city. The Canadian Olympic team has set a goal to contend for the top spot in overall medals won.
