Sask. bobsledder relives Olympic bronze-medal run through fans' eyes

Canada's last hope for an Olympic medal came down to a final heat on the last day of the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games.

The four-man bobsleigh team of pilot Justin Kripps and brakemen Ben Coakwell, Cam Stones and Ryan Sommer were more than 4/10ths of a second behind Germany through three runs on Sunday.

They would need a clean fourth run to claim bronze.

"When we're going down the track, my head's down. I don't know what's going on," said Saskatchewan-born Coakwell.

"All I can see is when we cross the finish line is a delayed No. 1 come up on the clock. That's what you're looking for." 

And that's what they got: a medal-winning run finishing 6/100ths of a second faster than Germany.

"When I watch it myself, I'm like, 'this was so ridiculous' — like, how close this was, the stress we put people through," Coakwell said.

"It's just … such a weird thing to watch yourself win a medal."

WATCH | Ben Coakwell and Team Kripps go for 4-man bobsleigh medal:

Canada's 3rd medal in 4-man bobsleigh

Coakwell, who was born in Regina and also lived in Moose Jaw and Saskatoon, is now a three-time Olympian in four-man bobsleigh.

Before trying the sport in 2012, Coakwell was a track athlete and football running back for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. 

Speaking from his home in Calgary Tuesday, bronze medal around his neck, Coakwell said the previous 48 hours had been "crazy."

"Travelling through the airport, I wore my medal and people were coming up to me and congratulating me. A guy bought me a Starbucks gift card," he said.

Coakwell said he asked many of those people if they watched the race live, and if they did, how they felt in the moment. 

"Hearing people's stories about watching the race is like the coolest part, because that's why you win stuff — to share it with people," he said.

"Seeing people's faces light up, like talking about how close it was and how they were yelling at the TV — and I've seen videos of it — it's just like, that's the part that makes it so awesome."

The win marked Canada's first four-man medal since Lyndon Rush drove his sled to bronze at Vancouver in 2010. The latest win is only Canada's third Olympic medal ever in the event.

Kripps made his own history as the first Canadian pilot to win Olympic medals in the two-man and four-man events. This bronze will join the gold from the 2018 Olympic two-man race in his trophy case.

"That race [on Sunday] in particular was such an accurate depiction of how our team is," Coakwell said.

"Pushing fast for your final run is something that you always want to do and it's … indicative of the heart of your team. And then obviously, Justin drove really well, and then we made up some time at the bottom of the track."

The well-rounded athlete was a brakeman for Team Kripps at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, but the sled overturned on the track in the first run. Coakwell was not medically cleared to continue. 

In his second Olympic appearance at Pyeongchang 2018, Coakwell slid to a 12th-place finish as a member of the four-man crew with pilot Nick Poloniato.

Another challenge for bobsledders: performing last in the Olympic schedule.

"It's such a difficult thing to race on the last day because you have to watch everybody else, you know, compete and either have success or not," he said. "It can be such an emotional roller-coaster."

Coakwell is now focused on getting sleep and readjusting to mountain standard time before celebrating the win with friends and family. 

He added that the team will take time to decide what's next, including a possible run at the 2023 IBSF World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland. 

Coakwell is also considering a potential coaching opportunity with Bobsleigh Canada, when the time is right.