From Calgary, Canada
The Canadian Olympic Committee put out their 2014 Olympic team for skeleton today. On the list were only two women and two men: Mellisa Hollingsworth and Sarah Reid for the women, and Jon Fairbairn and Eric Neilson for the men. Conspicuously absent from this list is 2010 Olympic gold medalist Jon Montgomery, who has been off the World Cup roster so far this season. As Montgomery hasn’t had a World Cup start yet this year, his lack of inclusion isn’t necessarily a shock to those who follow the sport, but it was enough where the following statement was released (this is it in its entirety):
CALGARY—The following is a statement from Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton’s high-performance director, Nathan Cicoria, regarding the status of Jon Montgomery.
“Today Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton nominated the first four skeleton athletes for selection to the 2014 Canadian Olympic Team including: Olympic bronze medallist, Mellisa Hollingsworth, World Championship medallist Sarah Reid, and the top-two performers on our men’s team over the last two seasons, Eric Neilson and John Fairbairn.
While we were extremely proud to recognize the accomplishments of these athletes on Wednesday, there seems to be confusion with the status of Jon Montgomery and his goal of securing a spot on Canada’s Olympic Skeleton Team.
As announced on Wednesday, Jon has not yet been nominated for a spot on the Olympic team. However, as released at the media conference on Wednesday, Jon is still very much in the mix, and is one of two Canadians who still has the opportunity to earn the final spot should Canada secure three men’s sleds in the Olympic field at the 2014 Sochi Games.
It is important to note that Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton will also nominate one Canadian woman to the Canadian Olympic Team should the nation also earn a third sled in the women’s field.
Based on international rankings – points compiled on both the World Cup and Intercontinental Cup circuits – Canada will secure a third men’s sled if we are ranked in the top-three of the international rankings, and a third women’s sled if we finish in the top-two nations of the international rankings.
Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton will make the selections based on performance. The Association continues to support Jon, and each of the other three athletes – Dave Greszczyszyn, Cassie Hawrysh and Robynne Thompson – vying for the final spots. The selection deadline is set for January 19.
Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton named the first four qualified athletes in advance of the January 19 selection deadline to provide national media with an opportunity to speak with the qualified athletes before they head to Europe to compete at the end of December.”
I would like to once again congratulate the first four athletes who were nominated to the Canadian Olympic Team this morning. Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton’s goal is to field the most sleds, and most competitive Canadian team possible at the Games. We hope to add two more names to our existing team of talented athletes that are destined for Sochi.”
