Alexander Kopacz

Alexander Kopacz, born on January 26, 1990, in London, Ontario, initially pursued his athletic career as a varsity-level shot putter at Western University, where he also earned a mechanical engineering degree.
His introduction to bobsleigh came in April 2013 through a talent identification camp, which ultimately led to an invitation to train with the Canadian national team. After his first North American Cup races in November 2013 with pilot Nick Poloniato, Kopacz transitioned to the World Cup circuit in the 2014-15 season. During this period, he pushed Christopher Spring to an eighth-place finish in the four-man event at the World Championships despite battling pneumonia. His first World Cup podium appearance occurred in January 2016, when he contributed to Justin Kripps’ four-man crew securing a bronze medal in Lake Placid.

A significant milestone in Kopacz’s career was his Olympic debut at PyeongChang 2018. Alongside pilot Justin Kripps, he earned a gold medal in the two-man event, tying with the German team. This achievement followed a successful 2017-18 season where Kripps and Kopacz secured four World Cup podiums, including one victory, and claimed the Crystal Globe as overall World Cup champions. Post-athletic career, Kopacz has applied his engineering background and competitive drive to entrepreneurship, co-founding Step Sciences, a company focused on custom 3D-printed orthotics.