Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Kaillie Humphries is a Canadian bobsleigh competitor, two-time Olympic champion. Along with brakewoman Heather Moyse, they are the first women’s bobsled duo to win back-to-back Olympic titles.
Kaillie’s inspirational story about her journey to become Olympic gold medallist.
Motivation
Kaillie on the fire within herself to achieve her childhood goal of competing in the Olympic Games.
Kaillie on the fire within herself to achieve her childhood goal of competing in the Olympic Games.
Born and Raised in Calgary, Kaillie Humphries grew up with a dream of winning Olympic Gold after watching a family friend, Mark Tewksbury win in the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics. Kaillie was initially involved in Skiing, before switching over to bobsleigh to pursue her Olympic dream.
Humphries started bobsleigh at the age of 17, spending her first four years in the sport as a brakeman on the World Cup circuit, before being named to the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy, as the alternate. Following the Torino games, Humphries moved into the pilot’s position during the 2006-07 season where she quickly emerged as one of the world’s best bobsleigh pilots. She made history in 2010 becoming the first Canadian woman to win a gold medal in bobsleigh at the Olympic Winter Games.
With only a few months of driving under her belt, Kaillie quickly became a front-runner in the sport. She was the overall points leader on the Europa Cup in 2006-07, capturing three victories in four races and won a silver medal at the World Junior Championships. In 2008, she advanced onto the World Cup circuit where she captured her first World Cup bronze medal as a pilot en route to finishing fifth overall. She added two silver medals to her trophy case during her second season in the driver’s seat.
2010 proved to be a dominating year for Kaillie, she set six start records and two track records around the world while racking up four medals to finish second overall in the World Cup standings. As a lifelong resident of Calgary, Kaillie has made a commitment to giving back to the community when she is at home during competition breaks and during the off-season.
At Christmas time, Kaillie and her family donate time to help feed those less fortunate through a dinner program at the homeless shelter. Kaillie is also an active member with three elementary schools in the Calgary area, Cedarbrae Elementary, Woodbine Elementary, and the Big Rock School (Okotoks). At these schools, Kaillie is a mentor and speaks to students about the importance of setting goals, exercise and saying “No” to drugs. Humphries and her partner (and fellow speaker) Heather Moyse join the ranks of only a handful of Canadian athletes who have successfully defended their Olympic Gold medals. They made history as the first women bobsledders to repeat as Olympic champions at the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia.
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