Kaillie Humphries (née Simundson), born on September 4, 1985, is a Canadian-American bobsledder whose career is marked by numerous achievements. She is a five-time world champion and the most decorated woman in bobsled history. She has left an indelible mark on the sport.
Kaillie Humphries at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics
Early Career and Transition to Bobsleigh
Kaillie Simundson grew up in western Canada, and her sporting aspirations were initially focused on Alpine skiing. At age 7, after handling the gold medal of an Olympic swimmer, she set a goal to win a gold medal herself. She took up ski racing and, at age 14, was named to the Canadian national development team. When she was 16 years old, she switched to the bobsled and began training as a pilot, but after two weeks she crashed, breaking her collarbone.
After recovering from her injury, she resumed bobsled training as a brakewoman, a position she continued in for the next four years as she gained skill and experience. It was as a brakewoman that Simundson qualified as an alternate for the Canadian bobsled team heading to the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. She was not selected to compete during the Games, however, and afterward she made the decision to take up piloting once again.
Initial Challenges
Humphries was initially low on the Canadian depth chart and considered representing the United Kingdom, the country of her then-fiancé, Dan Humphries, to compete at the 2006 Olympics. Opting to remain with the Canadian team she gained a spot on the roster after signing up for a bobsleigh driving school.
Olympic and World Championship Success
Humphries is the reigning Olympic champion in the two-woman at the 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2014 Winter Olympics. She won the silver medal in the mixed bobsled-skeleton team event at the 2008 FIBT World Championships in Altenberg, Germany.
She was the first Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal in the women’s bobsled event; they won in 2010 and 2014. Representing Canada, she was the 2010 and 2014 Olympic champion in the two-woman bobsled and the 2018 Olympic bronze medalist with brakewoman Phylicia George. With her victory in 2014 she became the first female bobsledder to successfully defend her Olympic title. Due to her repeat championship she was named flagbearer for the closing ceremonies at the 2014 Games together with brakewoman Heather Moyse.
At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Humphries won the gold medal in the two-woman competition with brakewoman Heather Moyse. The silver medal was won by fellow Canadians Shelley-Ann Brown and Helen Upperton. After the final run, Humphries said: "I don't think I can put it into words yet. We did our job, you know."
Humphries and Ciochetti also won the 2012 World Championship race in Lake Placid, marking the first gold for a Canadian women's bobsled team at the World Championships. When asked what the result meant on top of her Olympic gold, she said: "It feels amazing. It is another goal accomplished. This means a lot to me. I feel like I'm still growing as a pilot, and I try to learn from every experience."
Humphries' success in the winter of 2012-13 included a repeat as world champion while setting a track record at the 2013 FIBT World Championship race in St. The 2013-14 World Cup season saw Humphries reunited with her Vancouver 2010 teammate, Heather Moyse.
Humphries' clean piloting propelled the Canadians from second place into the gold medal position, making them the first female bobsled team to repeat as Olympic champions and the first female Canadian Olympians to repeat as champions since speed skater Catriona Le May Doan. Humphries said of the achievement: "How do you describe achieving a dream? This is a four-year goal of ours. This has been something that we've done together. Winning gold is amazing, but walking away satisfied is better."
She also won the bronze medal at the 2018 Olympics, and a number of world championships in the last decade. She won a bronze medal, with new partner Phylicia George, in 2018.
Olympic Medals:
- Gold: 2010 (two-woman bobsled)
- Gold: 2014 (two-woman bobsled)
- Bronze: 2018 (two-woman bobsled)
- Gold: 2022 (monobob)
After debuting as an alternate in 2006, Humphries returned with a vengeance in 2010, winning gold during her Olympic debut in the two-woman event. She successfully defended her gold medal in Sochi and took home the bronze medal in the two-woman event in 2018.
Kaillie Humphries made history on Sunday when she won the first-ever monobob event at the Winter Olympics. citizen, and at the following year’s Beijing Olympics she won a gold medal in the monobob.
In 2019, Humphries married her husband Travis Armbruster, an American bobsledder.
Key achievements:
- 2006: Humphries makes Team Canada as an alternate break woman at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
- 2010: Humphries wins her first Olympic gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
- 2013: Humphries wins her first overall World Cup title in the two-woman.
- 2021: Humphries wins her first world title in the monobob event.
World Cup Success
Humphries is also the two-time defending overall World Cup champion. Humphries along with Elana Meyers became the first women to pilot a mixed-gender team in the first ever international four-man bobsleigh competition to allow women to compete with/against men. As of the end of the 2013-14 World Cup season, Humphries has won 28 Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT) World Cup medals, 7 FIBT World Championships medals, and 2 Olympic Games medals.
She finished on the podium only once during the 2010-11 World Cup series, though her consistent top-10 finishes allowed her to finish in third place overall.Humphries teamed up with brakewoman Emily Baadsvik and then brakewoman Jennifer Ciochetti for consecutive wins in the last two races of the 2011-12 World Cup.
Humphries, with new brakewoman Chelsea Valois, was the dominant pilot during the 2012-13 Bobsleigh World Cup season. Humphries extended her podium streak to 15 with a win in the first race of the season and a silver in the second race-an unbroken run of 11 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals from the end of 2011-12 through the start of 2013-14.
The following table summarizes Kaillie Humphries' achievements in the FIBT World Cup:
#WeAreWinter: Kaillie Humphries' Canadian Olympic journey | Sochi 2014
FIBT (IBSF) World Cup Overall Season Championship:
- Third, Bronze-overall in the 2009-10 FIBT World Cup season
- Third, Bronze-overall in the 2010-11 FIBT World Cup season
- First, Gold-overall in the 2012-13 FIBT World Cup season
- First, Gold-overall in the 2013-14 FIBT World Cup season
The following table summarizes Kaillie Humphries' achievements in the World Cup Single Events:
| Season | Event | Medal | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007/2008 | Lake Placid | Bronze | Heather Moyse |
| 2008/2009 | Whistler | Silver | Heather Moyse |
| 2008/2009 | Park City | Silver | Shelley-Ann Brown |
| 2009/2010 | Lake Placid | Bronze | Heather Moyse |
| 2009/2010 | Igls | Bronze | Heather Moyse |
| 2009/2010 | Königsee | Silver | Heather Moyse |
| 2009/2010 | Altenberg | Gold | Heather Moyse |
| 2010/2011 | Whistler | Bronze | Heather Hughes |
| 2011/2012 | Königsee | Silver | Emily Baadsvik |
| 2011/2012 | La Plagne | Gold | Emily Baadsvik |
| 2011/2012 | Whistler | Gold | Emily Baadsvik |
| 2011/2012 | Calgary | Gold | Jennifer Ciochetti |
| 2012/2013 | Lake Placid | Gold | Chelsea Valois |
| 2012/2013 | Park City | Gold | Chelsea Valois |
| 2012/2013 | Whistler | Gold | Chelsea Valois |
| 2012/2013 | Winterberg | Gold | Chelsea Valois |
| 2012/2013 | La Plagne | Gold | Chelsea Valois |
| 2012/2013 | Altenberg | Bronze | Chelsea Valois |
| 2012/2013 | Königsee | Gold | Chelsea Valois |
| 2012/2013 | Igls | Silver | Chelsea Valois |
| 2012/2013 | Sochi | Bronze | Chelsea Valois |
| 2013/2014 | Calgary | Gold | Heather Moyse |
| 2013/2014 | Park City | Silver | Heather Moyse |
| 2013/2014 | Lake Placid | Gold | Heather Moyse |
Breaking Barriers
Humphries also made history in 2014, when she and Elana Meyers Taylor became the first women to compete against men in an international four-man bobsled event; they were on different teams, each of which included three men. Two years later Humphries was on an all-female team that raced against men in a World Cup event; her team finished last.
Kaillie Humphries in 2010
Transition to Team USA
In 2019, Humphries switched to representing the United States because of alleged abuse and harassment that she claims she faced from the Canadian bobsled federation. On July 15, 2021, Humphries received a decision from an SDRCC arbitrator, Robert P. Armstrong, with respect to her appeal of the investigation conducted by Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton. Armstrong rejected the Hill investigation and instead ordered an independent investigation through the SDRCC.
On September 18, 2019, Justice Romina Marchetti of the Calgary Court denied the injunction request, ruling that Humphries had not demonstrated irreparable harm sufficient to override her contractual commitments to Canada, thereby allowing her to continue competing under the national flag pending full litigation.
Following her transition to the United States bobsleigh team in November 2019, Humphries advocated for enhanced mechanisms to report and investigate abuse within national sports programs, emphasizing the establishment of independent third-party oversight to prevent self-investigation by governing bodies.
Legacy and Impact
Humphries’ bobsled career undoubtably is one of the best of all time, both due to her success and endurance on the ice and the impact she has had on the sport. Her nine collective gold medals (Olympics and world championships) over two decades make her one of the most decorated women in the sport.
Humphries received the prestigious 2014 Lou Marsh Award, given annually to Canada's top athlete. She is affiliated with the "I've Been Bullied" campaign; Right to Play, a sports program for underprivileged youth; and the Special Olympics. In April 2011, through Right to Play, she and Canadian gymnast Kyle Shewfelt traveled to Liberia to set up sports programs for underprivileged children.