Helen Upperton

Helen Upperton was born in Ahmadi, Kuwait, on October 31, 1979, due to her parents’ work in the oil industry. Her family later moved to Canada when she was three years old. Initially pursuing a career in triple jump at the University of Texas, Upperton transitioned to bobsleigh in 2002 after sustaining a stress fracture. This marked a pivotal moment in her athletic career, leading her to achieve significant milestones in the sport.

Upperton quickly made an impact in bobsleigh, securing Canada’s first women’s World Cup medal in November 2005, followed by the country’s first women’s World Cup gold medal in January 2006. She represented Canada in two Olympic Winter Games, making her debut at Turin 2006, where she narrowly missed a bronze medal by five-hundredths of a second, finishing fourth. Her dedication culminated at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, where she earned a silver medal with brakeman Shelley-Ann Brown. Throughout her career, Upperton also achieved 20 podium finishes in World Cup competitions, including six World Cup victories. She announced her retirement from the sport in September 2012.

Following her retirement, Upperton transitioned into a new phase of her career, becoming involved in sports administration as the manager of community relations with WinSport Canada. She later took on the role of head coach for WinSport Academy’s bobsleigh program, training emerging bobsledders. Upperton also became a commentator and expert analyst for bobsleigh and skeleton, covering the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics for CBC. In 2020, her broadcast contributions were recognized with a Canadian Screen Award for “Best Sports Analyst” for her coverage of the Bobsleigh World Championship event. She currently holds dual citizenship for Canada and Great Britain.