Canada’s skeleton team for the upcoming Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics consists of a mix of rookies and a seasoned veteran. Hallie Clarke, a 21-year-old rookie from Brighton, Ont., has achieved international success with wins at the world women’s championship in 2024 and the women’s world junior title in 2025. Her interest in the Olympics sparked at a young age while watching Canadian figure skaters Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.
Jane Channell, a 37-year-old veteran from North Vancouver, B.C., will be participating in her third Olympic Games. She first got drawn to skeleton while watching the sport in the 2002 Olympic Games with her grandfather, who expressed disbelief at the athletes’ daring maneuvers. Channell sees herself as a legacy of the 2010 Olympics, having been able to pursue skeleton on the Olympic sliding track in Whistler, B.C.
Josip Brusic, aged 23, is a relatively new addition to the sport, having become an Olympian within just four years. Expressing his excitement, Brusic described the experience as “thrilling” and jubilantly celebrated upon receiving the news of his Olympic selection.
The skeleton events in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, are scheduled to take place from Feb. 12-15. Canada’s last Olympic skeleton medal was a gold won by Jon Montgomery in Whistler in 2010.
Leading up to the Olympics, the Canadian women’s skeleton team faced scrutiny following allegations from U.S. slider Katie Uhlaender, who accused Canada’s head coach Joe Cecchini of interfering with her chances of competing in her sixth Olympic Games. The situation escalated when Canada withdrew four out of six women from a North American Cup race in January, impacting Uhlaender’s qualification points.
Despite the controversy, investigations by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation’s Integrity Unit concluded that Canada did not breach any rules or ethical guidelines. Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton clarified that the athletes’ withdrawal was to prioritize their well-being, especially since they were young competitors in developmental races.
Moving forward, the Canadian sliders expressed their trust in the national sport organization and emphasized their commitment to fair play and respect for the sport’s regulations. They refrained from commenting further on the issue until after the conclusion of the Olympic Games.
Notably, Hallie Clarke, ranked 13th globally, achieved sixth place in her recent World Cup races, while Jane Channell and Josip Brusic ranked 25th and 23rd, respectively, in their categories.
