Christopher Spring (born 6 March 1984) is an Australian-Canadian 4 x Olympic

bobsled Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of 2 to 4 athletes make timed speed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobs ...

der who has competed since 2008. At the

2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...

, he competed for Australia in the two-man event. He switched allegiance to Canada later in 2010, and has since competed in the

2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening ro ...

2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics (), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and also known as PyeongChang 2018 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County, South Ko ...

and the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), were an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas wit ...

for Canada.

Career

Spring competed for

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

over three seasons and finished 29th in the two-man event at the

FIBT World Championships 2009 The FIBT World Championships 2009, officially known as the Bauhaus FIBT Bobsleigh & Skeleton World Championships, February 20 to March 1, 2009, at the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in Lake Placid, New York, for the ninth time, doing so prev ...

in Lake Placid. He later went on to finish 22nd in the two-man event at the Vancouver

Since switching to represent

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in 2010, Spring has won nine world cup medals, including two gold and two crystal globes in both the two-man and four-man events. He has represented Canada three times at the Winter Olympic Games, with a best result of 5th in the two-man competition with brakeman Jesse Lumsden. Spring debuted on the World Cup tour for

in 2011, finishing 17th in the two-man event in Cesana,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. He was involved in a catastrophic crash in January 2012 during the

2011–12 Bobsleigh World Cup The 2011–12 Bobsleigh World Cup is a multi race tournament over a season for bobsleigh. The season started on 2 December 2011 in Igls, Austria and ended on 11 February 2012 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The World Cup is organised by the FIBT wh ...

in Altenberg,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, which put him in hospital for eight days. After having his skin shredded and a piece of wood the size of a kitchen knife embedded in his back, Spring considered retiring but later returned to the track in April 2012. He said of his fear of lost skills on his return, "I was really afraid I'd get back in the driver's seat and not know what to do. Or I would get halfway down the track and start freaking out." Yet he said that he felt few ill effects. In January 2022, Spring was named to Canada's 2022 Olympic team.

Career highlights

;World Championships: :4th, 2019 – Whistler, two-man ;FIBT (IBSF) World Cup Overall Season Championship :Third, overall in the 2013–14 FIBT World Cup season, four-man :Third, overall in the 2017–18 FIBT World Cup season two-man ;Olympic Games :5th, 2014 - Sochi Winter Olympics, two-man

References

External links

* * * * * * * 1984 births Australian male bobsledders Canadian male bobsledders Bobsledders at the 2010 Winter Olympics Bobsledders at the 2014 Winter Olympics Bobsledders at the 2018 Winter Olympics Bobsledders at the 2022 Winter Olympics Living people Olympic bobsledders for Australia Olympic bobsledders for Canada Australian emigrants to Canada Naturalized citizens of Canada Sportspeople from Darwin, Northern Territory Sportsmen from the Northern Territory 21st-century Canadian sportsmen 21st-century Australian sportsmen {{Canada-bobsleigh-bio-stub