Dal alum and former Dal Tigers hockey forward Mike Evelyn O鈥橦iggins (BEng鈥�19) is in Cortino d'Ampezzo, representing Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Speaking from the Toronto airport on his way to Italy, he described what it was like to get the phone call on Jan. 23 that he鈥檇 made the Olympics 2026 roster for Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton.听
鈥淵ou have a hunch, but when you get that call and hear those words, it鈥檚 a pretty sweet feeling. It never gets old,鈥� says Evelyn O鈥橦iggins, who, through the RBC Training Ground program, transitioned from hockey to bobsleigh after five years at Dal. While he originally had his sights on skeleton, at 6鈥�3鈥� tall and 235 pounds, his body was more suited to bobsleigh and he was made brakeman on the national team. He听will compete in both the two-man and four-man events听in Italy.听He previously听competed at the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022听and has been听.
Mike听Evelyn听O鈥橦iggins (left) with his fourman bobsled team (photo by听Dave Holland/COC).
Savouring the moment
For an elite athlete in any sport, training and competing can be grueling, and bobsleigh is no exception. Evelyn O鈥橦iggins, who is now 32, has been doing it all while building his career as an engineer back in his hometown of Ottawa. But he鈥檚 determined not to let it go by in a blur. The Olympics offer athletes 鈥� particularly in lower-profile sports like bobsleigh 鈥� a rare opportunity for exposure, and as much as Evelyn O鈥橦iggins says he needs to focus on racing, he also wants to savour the entire experience.
鈥淗aving toiled in obscurity for a thousand days or so, to then be pulled into the limelight is a different kind of noise. You don鈥檛 want to tune that out,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou want to perform and execute, but also enjoy the moment, because it鈥檚 fleeting.鈥�
Balancing engineering and elite sport
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Evelyn O鈥橦iggins played hockey for five years at Dal听while听he was studying engineering. He says it was the busy-ness of those years that most prepared him for his life as it is now.听
鈥淚 really enjoyed my time as a Tiger but learned you can鈥檛 please everyone all the time,鈥� he says of the competing demands on his time.听Ultimately, he听successfully managed both his engineering classes and听practice听schedule. 鈥淚 had to learn what balance looked like,鈥� he says, adding听that鈥檚听been invaluable to him now as a full-time systems engineer and team lead with听听while also touring the world听through his sport.
Evelyn O鈥橦iggins鈥檚听goals for this tournament, he says, are simply get the best possible result.听He figures听his听best opportunity is in the four-man event happening Feb. 20 and 21.听He鈥檒l听also compete in the two-man with his close friend and fellow Ottawa-based engineer Jay Dearborn on Feb. 16 and 17.
鈥淲e have an outside chance to medal in the four-man. The goals for the two-man are to convince our funders to continue funding the team through to 2030.鈥�
Engineering discipline meets athletic detail
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Evelyn O鈥橦iggins and his team get two days of training on the track, then will spend their final pre-competition days watching and analyzing听racing videos. Bobsleigh听races听can be won by听one-hundredth of a second听thus making听the team run and听entry into the sled of paramount importance. For Evelyn O鈥橦iggins,听what he calls a听鈥渇ixation on details鈥澨齣n the sport听aligns well with his听life as an engineer.听
听鈥淓ngineers love taking things apart. Dissecting and analyzing them. I take 22 steps during the push听(downhill, on ice)听before I get into the sled. A lot of analysis goes into how I do that precisely and effectively,鈥� he says, adding听鈥淎nd听I appreciate the engineering of the sled."
Troy Ryan鈥檚 leadership behind the bench
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Former听Dal Tigers听women鈥檚 hockey听coach听from 2020 to听the听2023-24 season,听Troy Ryan,听is also at the Olympics in his role as听coach听for听the Canadian women's hockey team.听Ryan was behind the bench in Beijing in 2022 when the Canadian women reclaimed hockey gold from the United States in a听three-two听final, and听will be looking to add听another Olympic gold medal听to his trophy cabinet after听the games in听Milan-Cortina, Italy.
鈥淚t is always an honour and privilege to be in this leadership position as we set our expectations and goals for the Olympics,鈥澨�. 鈥淲e have a tremendous coaching staff that is committed to the vision and process, and I am excited for the journey ahead.鈥�
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