Wilfrid Laurier student identified as having Olympic bobsleigh potential

A second-year Wilfrid Laurier University student has been named one of the 100 finalists for the Canadian Olympic Committee's official cross-country talent search.

Noah Rau was identified as having Olympic potential in bobsleigh, despite knowing very little about the sport before the 2024 RBC Training Ground qualifier in Milton, Ont.

"I had no idea what bobsled was," said Rau, in an interview with CTV News Kitchener. "I had watched Cool Runnings a few times. That was the extent of my knowledge of bobsled."

In March, about 2,500 athletes ages 14 to 25 from a wide range of sports, participated in qualifier events across the country. They performed core, speed, strength, power and endurance tests in front of Olympic talent scouts to either find the sport for which they are most suited, or the chance to earn a funding boost in their existing sport.

The top 100 athletes deemed to have great Olympic potential will compete in the RBC Training Ground national final on Nov. 2 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The finals will involve sport-specific testing based on high-performance benchmarks.

There will be 30 athletes from the final who will earn funding, a spot on Team Canada and an accelerated path to the Olympics.

Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton high performance manager Ryan Sommer said in a press release that Rau has great potential.

Rau was told his explosiveness and ability to sprint, was seen as an asset when it comes to pushing the heavy sled.

"They basically decided that a pilot pathway, or the driver for the bobsled, was the best fit for me," said Rau.

Since the qualifiers, he dove head-first into training, which included various bobsleigh-specific camps.

Aside from next month's RBC Training Ground final, Rau already has is eyes on the big prize.

"Hopefully looking at the Olympics for 2030, potentially 2034."