Bobsledders Ribi and Sieben revel in “crazy big stage” of first Olympics

In a women’s bobsleigh competition full of Olympic pedigree, it was a pair of newcomers who posted Team Canada’s best result.

Bianci Ribi of Calgary and Skylar Sieben of Cochrane, Alb. were sitting 11th after the first two heats and maintained that place to finish 11th overall at the end of all four heats.

Fellow Canadians Melissa Lotholz and Kelsey Mitchell ended up 13th, while Cynthia Appiah and Dawn Richardson Wilson finished one spot back in 14th.

READ: Bobsledder Melissa Lotholz keeps on learning at the Olympic Winter Games

Lotholz and Mitchell are both three-time Olympians, with Mitchell making her Winter Olympic debut after winning gold in track cycling at Tokyo 2020. Meanwhile, Appiah and Richardson Wilson finished eighth in the two-woman event at Beijing 2022.

But it was the debutantes who came up most consistent at the Cortina Sliding Centre.

“A crazy big stage, crazy moment,” said Ribi. “It was amazing to share it with Skylar, both of us being first-time Olympians. I feel really proud of how we performed.”

Ribi was the one called upon to try and secure Canada a third sled at these Olympic Games—and she came through.

“I don’t think a lot of people thought that I was going to be here,” said Ribi. “There were probably more times than not that I didn’t think that I was going to be here either.

“It was really special to be able to do it and kind of be the dark horse and come from behind, and start the year Canada 4 and end the year Canada 1 with Skylar.”

The pair haven’t shared a sled for very long, but connected quickly over a love of Taylor Swift, and a desire to make the most of their Olympic experience.

“We genuinely had fun the entire time,” said Sieben. “Yeah, it was perfect. What would have been perfect was medalling, but you know, we came through.”

Four-man teams looking for consistency

Also on Day 15, the first two heats of the four-man event took place with two Canadian sleds participating.

Taylor Austin, Keaton Bruggeling, Mike Evelyn O’Higgins and Shaq Murray-Lawrence sit 14th, 1.53 seconds off the lead while Jay Dearborn, Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson, Luka Stoikos and Mark Zanette sit in 19th, 1.84 seconds back.

READ: From the diving board to the bobsleigh track: Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson’s unusual journey into sliding

It was a first Olympic experience for several of those competitors but it wasn’t until the end of the first heat that Eskrick-Parkinson said he officially saw himself as an Olympian.

“I’m super happy to be able to say that,” he said. “[The] goal’s consistency here, so we’ve got another day and we’re going to show up again and repeat.”

It was a similar story from Stoikos, a university football player who transitioned to bobsleigh less than a year ago.

“It’s a great feeling [to be at the Olympics], very, very grateful,” he said. “But at the end of the day, right now, we’ve still got a job to do and that’s what we’re focused on.”