Helen Upperton

Helen Upperton

Helen Upperton in Calgary (2010)
Personal information
Nationality Canadian
Born (1979-10-31) October 31, 1979[1]
Ahmadi, Kuwait
Residence Calgary, Alberta[1]
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Weight 70 kg (150 lb; 11 st)[1]
Sport
Country  Canada
Sport Bobsleigh
Event(s) 2-woman
Coached by Canada Dennis Marineau, Tuffy LaTour, Bruno Mingeon
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals 2nd, silver medalist(s)
Medal record
Women´s Bobsleigh
Representing  Canada
Olympic Games
2010 Vancouver Two-woman
World Cup Championships
2005-06 Two-woman
2007–08 Two-woman

Helen Lesley Upperton (born October 31, 1979) is a Canadian bobsledder who has competed since 2002. Upperton was born in Ahmadi, Kuwait as her parents involvement in the oil industry meant they traveled abroad.[2] She holds dual citizenship of both Great Britain and Canada.[2] Upperton won the silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics after previously finishing fourth in the two-woman event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. She went to high school at Dr. E.P. Scarlett High School

Upperton also competed in the FIBT World Championships, earning her best finish of fourth in the two-woman event at Altenberg in 2008. Her best overall Bobsleigh World Cup finish was second in the two-woman event in the 2005-06 season.

A former triple jumper at the University of Texas at Austin, Upperton moved to bobsleigh in 2002. In the 2005-06 season she won four medals on the World Cup including a gold at an event in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Canada's first women's World Cup win in bobsleigh. One month later she finished fourth in the two-woman event at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Upperton scored a total of six wins and over 20 podium finishes in World Cup competition.[3]

She won a silver medal in the Two-woman competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics with Shelley-Ann Brown. The gold medal was won by fellow Canadians Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse. It marked the first time of the 2010 Olympics that Canadians had won two medals in one event.[4]

Upperton and Brown announced their retirements from the sport in September 2012.[3] After retiring Upperton became manager of community relations with WinSport Canada.[5] Subsequently she became head coach of WinSport Academy's bobsleigh programme, training developing bobsledders.[6][7]

Upperton was CBC's analyst for men's and women's bobsleigh and skeleton at the 2014 Winter Olympics, with Mark Connolly as commentator.

Career highlights

World Championships
2005 - Calgary, 12th with Jill Salus
2007 - St. Moritz, 6th with Jennifer Ciochetti
2008 - Altenberg, 4th with Jennifer Ciochetti
2009 - Lake Placid, 4th with Jennifer Ciochetti
2011 - Konigssee, 5th with Shelley-Ann Brown
World Cup
2005 - Calgary, 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 3rd with Heather Moyse
2005 - Igls, 2nd, silver medalist(s) 2nd with Heather Moyse
2006 - Königssee, 2nd, silver medalist(s) nbn 2nd with Heather Moyse
2006 - St. Moritz, 1st, gold medalist(s) 1st with Heather Moyse
2006 - Park City, 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 3rd with Jennifer Ciochetti
2006 - Lake Placid, 2nd, silver medalist(s) 2nd with Jamie Cruickshank
2007 - Cortina d'Ampezzo, 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 3rd with Jennifer Ciochetti
2007 - Calgary, 1st, gold medalist(s) 1st with Jennifer Ciochetti
2007 - Lake Placid, 2nd, silver medalist(s) 2nd with Jennifer Ciochetti
2008 - Cortina d'Ampezzo, 2nd, silver medalist(s) 2nd with Heather Moyse
2008 - Cesana, 1st, gold medalist(s) 1st with Jennifer Ciochetti
2008 - St. Moritz, 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 3rd with Heather Moyse
2008 - Winterberg, 1st, gold medalist(s) 1st with Jennifer Ciochetti
2008 - Igls, 1st, gold medalist(s) 1st with Heather Moyse
2009 - Altenberg, 2nd, silver medalist(s) 2nd with Jennifer Ciochetti
2010 - Calgary, 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 3rd with Shelley-Ann Brown
2010 - Lake Placid, 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 3rd with Shelley-Ann Brown
2011 - Cesana, 1st, gold medalist(s) 1st with Shelley-Ann Brown

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Helen Upperton". International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Helen Upperton". Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Canadian women's bobsled duo Upperton and Brown announce retirement". The Globe and Mail. 20 September 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  4. ↑ Rutherford, Kristina (February 24, 2010). "Canada finishes 1-2 in women's bobsleigh". CTV Olympics. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
  5. ↑ Wake, Bev (2 January 2014). "Q&A: Helen Upperton, former Olympian and broadcaster". canada.com. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  6. ↑ Falloon, Dan (18 December 2014). "Program hoping to develop bobsleigh". Pique Newsmagazine. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  7. ↑ Kingston, Gary (19 December 2014). "'Bad stigma' a big challenge for Whistler track". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
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