New Edmonton velodrome puts Olympic cycling champion Kelsey Mitchell back on track

Edmonton - Olympic champion Kelsey Mitchell has been drawn back to cycling thanks to a new velodrome in her hometown. Mitchell, 32, first competed in bobsled for Canada in the Cortina Games earlier this year. The new Alberta Velodrome in Edmonton, part of the Coronation Park Sports and Recreation Centre, opened in January. It is one of three 250-metre indoor UCI-sanctioned tracks in Canada.

Mitchell won women’s Olympic sprint gold in Tokyo in 2021 and placed eighth in Paris in 2024. She had been considering other sports, including speedskating and bobsled, but found a better fit at the Edmonton velodrome. "I honestly don’t know if I would have come back to cycling if it wasn’t for this facility," Mitchell said. She is seeking to make a national standard time, which she plans to attempt on August 31, to return to the Canadian team for the 2028 LA Olympics.