Regional Representation at 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games
For Immediate Release – Friday, February 4, 2022
Lethbridge, Alberta: Two athletes and one coach with a Lethbridge connection will represent Canada at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games beginning February 4, 2022. They will join 215 athletes and 85 coaches representing Canada. Approximately 2,900 athletes from 90 National Olympic Committees are expected to participate in 109 events in seven Olympic winter sports.
The Olympic Winter Games will be held in Beijing, the People's Republic of China, making the Chinese capital the first city to host both Summer and Winter editions of the Olympics (Beijing previously hosted the Olympic Summer Games in 2008).
Former Pronghorn athlete and 2016 graduate from the University of Lethbridge, Ryan Somner, and Lethbridge-born, former University of Calgary football player Taylor Austin, will compete in the sport of bobsleigh.
A former sprinter with the University of Lethbridge, and 2006 Olympian in the sport of Bobsleigh, Florian Linder is the Technical Coach and Performance Analyst for the Chinese Bobsleigh team. After competing at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Florian Linder went on to have a unique coaching career. For the past three winter Olympics Linder has found his niche as the technical coach for the host’s team; coaching the Canadian, Russian, and Korean at each of the previous three Olympics (Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014, Pyeongchang 2018).
Kaleb Muller, member of the Lethbridge Speed Skating Association, was named as a non-travelling alternate to the long-track speed skating team. Kaleb was the recipient of the Lethbridge Sport Council Achievement Award for Junior Male Athlete in 2014, and Senior Male Athlete in 2019.
Susan Eymann, Lethbridge Sport Council executive director said, “Our regional sport community has a tremendous opportunity to reach their Olympic dreams with the exceptional programming provided by our minor sport organizations, junior sport teams, and post-secondary institutions,” said Susan Eymann with the Lethbridge Sport Council. “Lethbridge obviously does not offer bobsleigh programming yet we see ourselves cheering for two bobsleigh athletes and one coach with ties to Lethbridge. As a late entry sport, multi-sport athletes have the athleticism and mental performance skills that are easily transferable.”
Information regarding Team Canada at Beijing 2022, including competition schedules, results and historic Canadian Olympic Winter Games statistics can be found at olympic.ca/press.
Media Contacts:
Tanya Whipple
Communication Manager, Lethbridge Sport Council
[email protected]
403-330-5597
Susan Eymann
Executive Director, Lethbridge Sport Council
[email protected]
403-320-5412
Posted February 4, 2022