Quebecer Samuel Giguère will experience the Winter Olympics on the field for the first time in his career, as the national bobsleigh and skeleton federation announced Thursday its participation in the prestigious event scheduled for Beijing next month.
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For the former NFL and Canadian Football League player, this is a great reward for his many years of hard work in his second sport. Giguère was not invited to take part in the Sochi Games in 2014 and was content with a substitute role in Pyeonchang four years later. This time, he will be one of three Canadian crews competing in the four-man event.
The 36-year-old will look to help his foursome completed by Cody Sorensen, Mike Evelyn and driver Christopher Spring in races scheduled for February 13-20. The team completed the Olympic qualification process with two top-10 appearances, finishing eighth in Winterberg on Jan. 9 and ninth in St. Moritz on Sunday.
In addition, another athlete from the world of football will represent the country at the Games in bobsleigh. Saskatchewan Roughriders cornerback Jacob Dearborn will find himself on the team of Taylor Austin, Chris Patrician and Daniel Sunderland.