A brand-new velodrome constructed in her local area has reignited the passion of Olympic track cycling champion Kelsey Mitchell for the sport. Following her participation in bobsleigh for Canada at the Milan Cortina Games in February, the 32-year-old athlete from Sherwood Park, Alberta, has returned to cycling at the recently opened Alberta Velodrome in Edmonton. This cycling track is part of the new $153 million Coronation Park Sports and Recreation Centre, which became operational in January and now stands as one of the three 250-meter indoor UCI-sanctioned tracks in Canada.
In addition to the Milton velodrome in Ontario, which was established for the 2015 Pan American Games and serves as the national team’s training hub, the Centre National De Cyclisme was also finalized in Bromont, Quebec, in 2022. Mitchell, who clinched the women’s Olympic sprint gold in Tokyo in 2021, was initially recruited into the sport through RBC Training Ground without owning a bike four years prior to her Olympic triumph.
After placing eighth in Paris in 2024, Mitchell experienced mental and physical exhaustion but remained determined to continue her high-performance athletic career. Experimenting with speedskating and bobsleigh, she competed in the women’s bob event in Cortina, Italy, securing the 13th position alongside pilot Melissa Lotholz from Barrhead, Alberta.
Upon her return to track cycling, Mitchell sought a better balance and a change of environment, which she found in the Edmonton velodrome. The proximity of the hardwood track, where she trains three times a week, being only a 30-minute drive from her home in Sherwood Park allows her to maintain close connections with her family and friends.
Mitchell’s return to competitive cycling was also motivated by her desire to address a long-standing leg issue that had affected her power output. Undergoing a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in April, she is now focused on meeting the national standard time, with plans to attempt qualifying on August 31 for the Canadian team. Reflecting on her training progress, Mitchell expressed optimism about her swift return to form on the track.
If selected for Canada’s team heading to Los Angeles in 2028, Mitchell would become a four-time Olympian within a seven-year timeframe. Notably, among the 14 athletes who have represented Canada in both Winter and Summer Olympic Games, five have been bobsledders, including Mitchell.
The Coronation Park Sports and Recreation Centre, which merged with the existing Peter Hemingway Aquatic Centre, holds a special appeal for Mitchell as it caters to both elite and recreational athletes. She appreciates the facility’s location in Alberta, its altitude advantage for speed, and the opportunity it provides for introducing track cycling to the public.
Mitchell’s journey underscores the growth of track cycling in Canada, with the emergence of multiple top-tier velodromes across the country signaling a promising future for the sport.