Moose Jaw student is first female bobsledder from Trinidad and Tobago

By Shawn Slaght

Akenke Oliver is poised to be the first female mono-bobsledder to represent her home country of Trinidad and Tobago.

Oliver is studying business and specializing in sport management at Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Moose Jaw campus.

She joined the Caribbean nation’s bobsled team in June and has been training in Regina. In the past, she has competed at a high level in other sports including gymnastics, netball and track and field.

“I saw they were recruiting for females on my bobsled team, and I took the opportunity to reach out to my team lead and figured out how I could be a part of this and how I could make a difference and really foster change for bobsled and winter sports from my Caribbean island,” said Oliver.

She recalled her first time going down a bobsled track.

“I felt a host of emotions,” she said. “I was scared for a bit as well. Most definitely, it was scary going on the track, but at the end of it, I was filled with adrenaline. I was just happy to be down at the end of the track safely.”

Last month, Oliver flew to Austria for her first in-person experience at the IBSF Europacup.

Unfortunately, Oliver suffered a concussion in a bobsled crash during training before the competition and was not cleared by doctors to compete.

Joining the bobsledding team has been quite a balancing act for Oliver. Along with studying, she is working as well as volunteering for numerous organizations.

“Just like everything else, it has been difficult. There are challenges and most of my days I am tired, but I make it work. I also have a job as well, so I juggle studies with my job and training,” she said.

Ultimately, her goal is to represent Trinidad and Tobago in the female mono-bobsled competition in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

“Our training this season has almost come to an end. So really, we’ll train this off-season to get stronger and faster and I’ll prepare myself mentally to take on the upcoming season this year,” Oliver explained.

The 2026 Winter Olympics will take place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.