HUMBOLDT — Humboldt native and Olympic bronze medallist Lyndon Rush is helping guide Canada’s national bobsleigh program into the 2026 Olympic cycle — and his hometown roots are part of a national story now airing on CBC.
Rush, an Olympic bronze medallist from the Vancouver 2010 Games, grew up in Humboldt and is now a longtime Team Canada bobsleigh coach. He has been named a coach with the Canadian Olympic bobsleigh team and is featured in Redemption Run, a three-part documentary series produced by Tyson Media that follows the Canadian Bobsleigh Team as it prepares for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games.
Rush retired from competition following the Sochi 2014 Olympics and moved directly into coaching, initially serving in assistant and technical driving coach roles.
By 2018, he was already an established national team coach and helped guide Justin Kripps and Alex Kopacz to Olympic gold.
The series airs back-to-back on CBC TV on Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. EST/PST (7:30 p.m. NT) and will also stream on CBC Gem.
Redemption Run offers behind-the-scenes access during a pivotal rebuilding period for the national program, capturing the emotional and physical demands placed on athletes chasing Olympic qualification, said Tyson Hepburn, founder of Tyson Media.
“Redemption Run celebrates not only the extraordinary talent of our athletes but also the shared journey we’ve undertaken to rebuild a culture of respect, excellence, and purpose within Bobsleigh Canada,” said Kien Tran, chief executive officer of Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton.
The documentary follows athletes through training in Whistler and Calgary, World Cup competitions across Europe, and the World Championships in Lake Placid, N.Y. It rolls out on the heels of Canada’s announcement of its 2026 Olympic bobsleigh team roster.
Rush appears alongside Olympic gold medallist and head coach Justin Kripps, with both playing key roles in leading the rebuild of Canada’s national bobsleigh program.
Rush said, “At the beginning, it was a bit awkward to be honest, when the cameras were around. I felt like I wasn't sure if I should say things, and it didn't feel natural. But pretty quickly, we forgot the cameras were even there, and the camera operators became part of the team.”
“I think about young people watching it — my goal is for people to understand how challenging the sport of bobsleigh can be and how this can be an inspiration for young viewers to one day compete for Team Canada.”
“This project has actually been in development since the last Olympic cycle — almost four years ago,” said Hepburn. “The themes of sacrifice, resilience and redemption are universal. And the level of access we had to the athletes was truly special.”
Hepburn said hearing athletes’ personal stories helped shape the scope of the series.
“Listening to these athletes’ stories — the personal sacrifices they make, often paying nearly $40,000 out of pocket just to compete — it inspired us. We decided to take the same leap ourselves… in a massive way,” he said.
Produced independently by Tyson Media, Redemption Run was created with a tight budget, relying on longtime collaborators and industry veterans who joined the project out of passion for Canadian sport.
“Canadian patriotism is at an all-time high,” Hepburn said. “The timing was right. Once the first episode was completed, the reaction was immediate. ‘We knew we had something special.’ The response was very positive.”
The series also shines a spotlight on the diverse backgrounds of Canada’s bobsleigh athletes — including former professional football players, track athletes and hockey players — who come together to represent Canada on the world’s biggest stage.
“Redemption Run isn’t just about bobsledding. It’s about the grind, the resilience, and the heart it takes to chase an Olympic dream,” said Hepburn. “This series tells an authentic story of Canada’s bobsleigh athletes’ experiences over the past two years, capturing every push, every setback, and every milestone achieved. It’s fun, it’s fierce, and it’s emotional.”
For Humboldt residents, the series offers a strong hometown connection to Canada’s Olympic journey, as Rush continues to help shape the next generation of Canadian bobsleigh athletes on the road to Italy in 2026.
