Last year he finished ninth in Beijing with a team of four.
Spring, 39, began his career in Australia, his country of birth, and represented that country at the 2010 Vancouver Games before moving to Canada in 2011.
The Calgary-based bobsledder received his Canadian citizenship on Canada Day 2013, making him eligible to drive two-man and four-man sleds for his new country at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 Olympics.
“I still have a great passion for bobsleigh. “I never thought I could love a sport so much,” Spring said in a press release. “The hype with the team and pushing the sled off the line, coupled with driving a bobsled and manipulating it to get to the exact line, made me feel like I often wonder if I’ll ever be anywhere else in the world “I will find life.”
“This feeling was like an addiction for me and maybe the reason why I stayed in this sport for so long. However, it is time to pursue many of the other passions I have in life.”
Spring’s career was almost ended prematurely when he was seriously injured in an accident in Altenberg, Germany, during the 2011-12 season. He was flown to hospital in Dresden, where he received 18 staples to close a wound on his buttocks and thigh and remained there for eight days.
Ten months later, he drove a four-man sled to a bronze medal at the 2012 Whistler World Cup.
“I wouldn’t wish what happened in Altenberg on anyone,” said Spring. “It was a real battle that I had to deal with every day of my career.
“For a long time I’ve struggled to cope and get over this crash, but I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve welcomed the fear that has crept in every now and then to remind myself that, What we are doing here is dangerous, but also something very special.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2023.
The Canadian Press
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