Olympic champion Kelsey Mitchell returns to cycling at new Edmonton velodrome
The Sherwood Park native, who won sprint gold in Tokyo, switched to bobsled for the 2026 Winter Games before a new $153-million facility drew her back to the track.
Kelsey Mitchell, the 32-year-old Sherwood Park cyclist who won Olympic sprint gold in Tokyo in 2021, has returned to track cycling after competing in bobsled at February's Milan Cortina Winter Games. She now trains three days a week at the Alberta Velodrome, a 250-metre indoor UCI-sanctioned track inside the new $153-million Coronation Park Sports and Recreation Centre in Edmonton, which opened in January and is integrated with the existing Peter Hemingway Aquatic Centre.
Mitchell said the facility, located just 30 minutes from her Sherwood Park home, is a major reason she came back to cycling after burning out following an eighth-place finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She had tried speedskating before shifting to bobsled, placing 13th in women's bob at Cortina with pilot Melissa Lotholz of Barrhead. Being near family in the Edmonton area, she said, has given her better work-life balance than she had training at Ontario's national velodrome in Milton.
After the Winter Games, Mitchell received a platelet-rich plasma injection in April to address a longstanding issue in her left leg before resuming serious training. She plans to attempt a national standard time on Aug. 31 in hopes of rejoining Canada's national cycling team, with an eye toward a possible fourth Olympic appearance at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
The Alberta Velodrome is one of only three UCI-sanctioned 250-metre indoor tracks in Canada, alongside facilities in Milton, Ont., and Bromont, Que. Mitchell said she values that the Edmonton facility doubles as a public recreation centre, exposing everyday visitors to track cycling for the first time.
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