Olympic athlete Justin Kripps is retiring from bobsleigh.
“Sixteen years of living my dream, wearing the maple leaf proudly while representing this great country all over the world. It’s been my greatest challenge and the most rewarding adventure of my life,” he said. “I pushed myself further than I thought possible and learned who I was in the process. I wouldn’t change even the worst day or the hardest struggle I had because my greatest moments seemed to arrive right after the most difficult times. “
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Kripps, 35, was born in Hawaii but grew up in Summerland. He joined Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton in 2008 as a brakeman and began piloting in 2010.
He has competed at the Winter Olympics three times.
He tied for Olympic gold in the two-man competition in PyeongChang, South Korea during the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Kripps and Alexander Kopacz tied with the German team of Fransesco Friedrich and Thorsten Margis in this event. The competition was the second time in Olympic history that Canada has tied for gold in the two-man bobsleigh competition.
In the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Kripps and his team won the bronze in the four-man bobsleigh event. The team consisted of Ryan Sommer, Ben Coakwell and Cam Stones.
During his time as a bobsleigh athlete, Kripps has also received 10 Crystal Globes, five World Championship medals and 44 World Cup medals.
Two other members of his team are also retiring for bobsleigh. Sommer, who joined in 2016 and Stones, who joined in 2015, are also stepping away from the sport.
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Beijing 2022 Winter GamesSummerland
Pilot Justin Kripps with Cam Stones, Ryan Sommer and Benjamin Coakwell from Canada start for the first run of the men’s four-man bobsleigh World Cup race in Winterberg, Germany, Jan. 9, 2022. (Caroline Seidel/dpa via AP)
