Heather Moyse wins gold

Heather Moyse and her longtime sled partner Kaillie Humphries made Olympic history in Sochi this week. The pair became the first women to win gold medals in consecutive Olympics for the two-man bobsled event. The pair triumphed over their close competitors on the U.S. team in the final heats on Wednesday.

Photo credit: Canadian Olympic Committee

For Moyse, just being able to return for a second shot at gold is a victory in itself.

A brave comeback

When Moyse arrived at Canada’s national bobsleigh training facility for testing in August, expectations were low.

Less than a year before, the Waterloo kinesiology graduate had undergone surgery to repair a torn labrum in her right hip. The surgery left her unable to train for weeks, and jeopardized her ability to return to the sport at an elite level.

But with a 5.50 second-start that day, Moyse proved to herself and her coaches that not only was she back— but she was faster and stronger than before.

“I thought she’d come back easily because she’s so experienced but I didn’t anticipate her coming back so strong. None of us did,” national bobsled coach Tom De La Hunty said in a recent interview.

"It was a huge challenge, which made it all the more motivating. Sochi for me is a massive overcoming of an obstacle kind of thing.”

Grueling rehab schedule got her back on track

She credits fierce determination and a grueling rehabilitation schedule with her strong return.

“I had to start from scratch and build everything from the building blocks, which is probably why I'm doing better,” she said.

In the fall, Moyse posted a video of herself pushing her sister's minivan around a parking lot in Denver when she couldn’t make it to a gym. The five minute video chronicles her long road back to the sport.

“To be a really good brakeman requires an ideal combination of strength and speed,” Moyse said. “I wouldn’t call myself the fastest girl in Canada, but put me behind the sled and it’s different.”

All of us here at Waterloo extend our congratulations to Moyse and Humphries for their accomplishments.