Olympic Great Jennifer Heil has appointed Chef de Mission for Milan-Cortin Winter Games

Selfless athlete and leader during her ski career, Jennifer Heil will bring these qualities and others to his role as a Canadian cooking mission at the Milan-Cortini Olympics in 2026, the Canadian Olympic Committee announced on Tuesday.

As a spokesman for the team, a native of Sprice Grove, Alta., He will also serve as a mentor, a fan and a cheerleader with the aim of motivating and inspiring athletes while protecting their performance.

“This is a huge honor,” said Heil Anastasia Bucsis of CBC Sports. “I have a lot to attract for athletes. But I think it’s more than that, I have a perspective. And sometimes it lacks a perspective as an athlete that enters your games, which can sometimes be too much pressure.

“I have that experience to let go of the pressure valve a little.”

The key position is filled by an athlete who represented Canada on the international scene, especially with multi-sports games.

“Trailblazer both in and outside, Jennifer not only broke the obstacles, but found ways to do so as she raised others and returned to her community,” said Tricia Smith, President of the COC, about the triple Olympians. “Jennifer really understands what it means to wear a maple leaf and live Olympic values ​​every day. We are extremely happy and excited to be our chef for Milan Cortina 2026.”

Heil inspired his teammates at the 2006 Olympics, winning gold for the first Canadian medal in Turin, Italy. She then earned her first medal by Canadian (silver) four years later in Vancouver on her third and last games before receiving in 2011 with 58 World Cup stands, including 25 gold.

“I could go to another Olympic game,” Heil told reporters at the time. “I’m still at the top of my game, but for me I think it’s an important time to build my future. I want to be successful with slopes as well as on slopes and I think that is the time now.”

Watch | Heil appointed Chef de Mission for Olympic Games in Milan-Cortin:

Heil’s teammate Mogoles, Alex Bilodeau, won the first Olympic gold in Vancouver the day after climbing the podium.

“She gave me so much and I think I’m a big part of why I’m here today,” Biodeau said about Heil, an honorary member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame since 2015. “Definitely is a legend in our sport.”

Somewhat lost by Heil’s Olympic Medal in Vancouver is the fact that she gave up her last event before the game to give other Canadians the opportunity to qualify. She was on the car, beating four consecutive World Cup events.

Leaves a sport on a high

Heil left the sport at high, capturing gold in Mounds and double power at the 2011 World Ski Championship. Months later, she was the recipient of the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as the Canadian print of the athlete of the year.

At the age of 41, the four -time gold medal of the World Cup will try to help Canadian athletes achieve their dream next February in Italy.

Heil believes that sport is part of her present efforts and challenges when she relies on grizz, emotional control and perseverance.

“I have been retiring for a while, but I don’t feel like these lessons left me,” she said. “I think, if nothing else, I became a better leader.

“I’m excited to get rid of what I experienced as an athlete, from rookie to favorite to have pressure on crushing.”

In the lead to Milan Cortina, Heil will attend preparatory seminars for athletes and coaches and serve in committees related to games that complete the selection of teams and another decisive Canadian wearer of the opening and closing flags.

It will emphasize the “joy” to be at the forefront of the experience of athletes.

“That doesn’t mean we enjoy grinding every moment and doesn’t hurt,” she said. “But joy must be a part of it. There should be a lot of resistance. There should be a lot of adaptability. There is a need to exclude noise.”

Heil started skiing at the age of two, and during her incredible career he was a five -time overall World Cup champion. Heil fell in love with freestyle as a young man watching Canadian Jean-Luc Brassard winning gold at the 1994 Olympics.

Far from the slopes, Heil supported Canada’s plan “Since I was a girl”, which lasted from 2012 to 2018 and collected millions in her efforts for girls around the world out of poverty.

In 2022, Heil graduated from the Graduate School of Business School Stanford, California University.

She also actively contributed to charity initiatives through her B2ten Foundation, which provides training and technical support to Canadian ambitious elite athletes.

“She was an incredible role model and leader,” Hall of Fame skier, a Beckie Scott skiers, said the retired CBC sports host Scottu Russell 2015. “There are many young women who can say that Jenn has deeply influenced that she is only for that, can be very proud.”