Lyndon Rush, Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame Inductee, in two photos: left, at the induction ceremony on Sept. 24, and right, undated team photo. (Composite image by Amir Said)
It may be hard to imagine someone from Saskatchewan’s flatlands being a champion bobsledder, but Lyndon Rush, Humboldt’s own highly-decorated champion bobsledder and Olympic medalist, was one of eight athletes inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame on Sept. 24.
Hailing from small-town Saskatchewan and becoming an Olympic medalist, Rush recognizes he is an inspiration to many aspiring athletes in the province.
“The thing I find most inspiring about sport is the little things: even now when I’m coaching my athletes, I tell them they need to keep their house in order. That’s the recipe to success, keeping track of the little things that it’s easy to forget about. You do that, and you might just end up in the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.”
Rush was born in Humboldt. He participated in a variety of sports, including football at Humboldt Collegiate Institute and the University of Saskatchewan, before embarking on his career in bobsledding. As a driver, he led Canada to the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, where he won bronze with Alberta natives David Bissett and Chris LeBihan and Jamaican-born Alberta resident Lascelles Brown.
Rush’s partnership with Edmonton native Jesse Lumsden from 2012 onward proved fruitful, with the two sledding their way to numerous medals at the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT) World Championships. Rush’s prairies-stemming athletic prowess was surely well-complemented by the mountain knowledge of his Alberta colleagues.
“There’s so many people that helped me get there, and I really do hope that they take pride in that,” said Rush. “It makes me feel more deserving of it when I recognize the people that have helped me along the way.”
In spite of his many accolades, Rush is humble.
“Some of the stuff I’ve accomplished is pretty cool, but it doesn’t feel like I did anything different than anybody else, you know?”
Rush started his professional bobsleigh career in 2004 and competed for the last time at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, making his mark with a decade-long career filled with accolades and recognition. He currently coaches bobsledding with WinSport Academy, a youth training centre in Calgary, Alberta.
Sheila Kelly, the executive director of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, believes the induction ceremony is incredibly impactful for the Saskatchewan community.
“We love our sports history here in Saskatchewan,” said Kelly. “It’s really a great opportunity to commemorate the achievements of our athletes and I know it means a lot to them.”
This was the 53rd iteration of the induction ceremony, with Rush being part of the 2021 class that was unable to be formally inducted last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He is joined by fellow 2021 inductees Justin Abdou, Rod Boll, Colette Bourjonie, Kalyn Kyle, and Shannon Miller, along with the 2000-01 University of Regina Cougars Women’s Basketball Team and the 2013 Saskatchewan Roughriders Football Club additionally being inducted. The 2022 class that was inducted with them includes athletes Kelsie Henry, Harry Jerome, and Rueben Mayes, and builders Antonia Beerling and Bill Brownridge.
The inductees and their many accomplishments will be immortalized through the Hall of Fame’s physical location and website, and Saskatchewan’s rich sports history only continues to grow with recognition.
