Olympic Dreams

Double Wildcat Skylar Sieben represented Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Story by: McKenna Manzo | Action Photos: Viesturs Lacis

Summer 2026

Canadian athlete in red team apparel poses in front of the Olympic rings surrounded by snow-covered mountains at a Winter Olympic venue.

Photo provided by: Skylar Sieben

Two Canadian women’s bobsleigh athletes sprint while pushing their sled during the start of a race on an ice track.

When Skylar Sieben ’22 ’24 moved from Calgary, Alberta, to Tucson, it was for one reason: track and field. Recruited to compete for the University of Arizona, Sieben spent six years as one of the Wildcats’ top multievent athletes, while earning a bachelor of science in biology and master of science in cellular and molecular medicine.

Sieben competed in the heptathlon for five years at Arizona, a track and field event that takes place over a two-day period. But even with a strong track resume, she always had a bigger dream — competing in the Olympics.

Representing Team Canada in the two-woman bobsled at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, she ranked 11th across four runs.

What makes Sieben’s story surprising is how quickly it all happened: This is only her second season in bobsled. During her time at Arizona, U of A pole vault coach Dominic Johnson had encouraged her to try the sport. After finishing her master’s degree, she decided to take the leap.

Close-up of a Canadian bobsleigh athlete in a helmet and racing suit sharing an emotional moment with a teammate before competition.

“A big misconception coming into the sport is, you don’t realize how much behind the scenes work there is,” she says. “It definitely threw me for a loop.”

Tucson remains a major part of Sieben’s life. While much of her family still lives in Canada, Sieben says she feels equally supported by the community she built in Southern Arizona.

“I feel like I have just as big of a community in Tucson as I do back home,” she says. “And that’s really cool.”

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