Calgary

Kaillie Humphries named Calgary Stampede parade marshal

Calgary Stampede officials have named Kaillie Humphries as the parade marshal for this July.

Olympic champion will lead July parade

Candian bobsledder Kaillie Humphries will lead the Calgary Stampede parade. (Calgary Stampede)

Calgary Stampede officials have named bobsled champion Kaillie Humphries as the parade marshal for this July.

The Stampede runs from July 3 until July 12, with the parade opening the internationally known event.

Humphries says she attends the Stampede every summer and she is honoured to be asked to lead the parade.

"To be asked by the city to lead this year's parade and to know that it's not just sporting accomplishments, but it's who I am as a person that they really value — that means a lot to me," she said.

A two-time Olympic bobsled champion, Humphries won the two-woman event at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and then successfully defended her title in 2014 in Sochi.

Last November, she piloted a mixed-gender team to the bronze medal in the Canadian four-man bobsled championships. She trains in Calgary.

​Recent Stampede parade marshals include actor William Shatner, astronaut Chris Hadfield, singer Ian Tyson, and 'Man in Motion' Rick Hansen.

Actor William Shatner was the Calgary Stampede marshal last year. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)
Astronaut Chris Hadfield waves to the crowds during the Calgary Stampede parade in 2013. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

With files from CP