HUMBOLDT – Luke Puto, Humboldt local, has been selected as one of the new bobsledders to compete on Team Canada in the pre-Olympic 2024-2025 season.
A new generation of Canadian bobsleigh athletes will look to continue a tradition of excellence that spans nearly six decades at all levels of the sport while sliding around the world with the maple leaf on their sleds during the critical pre-Olympic 2024-25 season, according to a Bobsled Canada media release.
Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton has completed the National Bobsleigh Program team selection process, naming 35 athletes who will fill 10 Canadian sleds piloted by six women and four men at international competitions.
Puto, 25, was born in Prince Albert and spent his early life in Red Deer, Alta., before his family eventually settled in Humboldt. Puto said, “I am a proud HCI graduate, and have a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan.”
Chris Dornan, spokesperson for Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton said Puto is in good Saskatchewan hands in the program with former University of Saskatchewan Huskie football standout and Olympic bobsleigh medallist, Lyndon Rush, as one of the national team coaches and helping him through this journey and devilment into a world-class bobsledder.
“A journey fuelled by his friends in Humboldt and Saskatoon, Luke is currently attending his pre-season training camp in Whistler with their first race coming up at the end of the month,” said Dornan.
Puto was friends with Humboldt Bronco’s crash victim, Jacob Leicht and survivor Jacob Wasserman. Puto said, “Leicht was the first friend that I had made when I got to Humboldt along with another close friend, Tyson Hergott.”
Puto recalls, “I remember having a lot of anxiety about leaving my friends in Red Deer behind, but that was quickly forgotten and I have many fond memories of playing road hockey with my friends until it was too dark to see, or lunchtime Xbox tournaments where we may or may not have been late getting back to school.”
“We all became very close friends. Leicht and I played hockey together, gamed together, went to the gym together and I was a consistent visitor to the Leicht household. Kurt and Celeste always made me feel so welcome there. But that first time he and Tyson showed up at my house will forever be the memory that sticks because prior to that we had lived in Humboldt for about two weeks and with school coming up, I was scared of showing up to school and not knowing a single person. Jacob made sure to introduce me to everyone and really set me up for success.”
Puto credits Leicht for his decision to start training for the Olympics.
“Jacob was the catalyst.”
Bobsled Canada named Puto on Pat Norton’s team.
“Norton will bring a high-profiled crew with him on both the development and elite circuits. Norton welcomes back Olympian Mike Evelyn (Ottawa), CFL receiver with the Ottawa Redblacks Keaton Bruggeling (Ottawa), Luke Puto (Humboldt, Sask.) and rookie Josh Langford (Woodlawn, Ont).”
Qualifying for a bobsleigh selection camp used to be done through the regional combines, but now RBC training ground is the primary way to enter not only the sliding sports but many other late-entry sports said Puto.
“Once you make the team, Olympic qualification becomes a lot more complicated. You get scores for various performance levels both in individual testing but also for performance on the circuits. There is also a quota for the number of sleds a country can qualify for the games that is based on World Cup performance, our goal for this year is to help ensure we qualify the maximum amount of sleds.”
Puto initially started to learn the sport of Olympic weightlifting, before attempting to pursue bobsleigh as a better path to try and reach the Olympics.
“We are in our preseason which takes place in October usually, where our pilots get lots of practice runs in preparation for competition and we get lots of reps pushing the sled at the top of the hill and then riding down. Sliding is a unique stress on the body, and so this period can be a bit of a grind. From here on we will generally compete weekly or biweekly as part of a circuit, this culminates with a world championship in March at Lake Placid, New York,” said Puto.
Selection for the Canadian Olympic team will be next year. “I will be working as hard as I possibly can to become faster and stronger to get one of the spots for our team heading to Milano Cortina in 2026.”
“There are so many sports and opportunities out there for kids and young adults who may not have achieved their goals in their primary sport. If anyone is at all interested in these second-chance sports, get out and try them you never know where you could end up by just saying yes!”
“This year he will be on the team of one of Canada’s top male bobsleigh pilots (Pat Norton) – where they will compete in North America pre-Christmas before taking a giant step forward onto the World Cup circuit in January,” Dornan said.
Each of Canada’s 10 sleds will begin the competitive season taking part in this weekend’s North American Cup at the Whistler Sliding Centre, Nov. 22 - 26.
Results can be found here for the North American Cup in Whistler.
