Appiah's tough outing in Beijing comes with lessons learned, eyes on 2026 Games

Cynthia Appiah didn't have the Olympics she hoped for in Beijing, but the Canadian bobsledder is returning home keen to rest up and start the process all over again toward Milan Cortina 2026.

The 31-year-old, competing in her first Games after serving as an alternate four years ago, finished eighth in both her events — the monobob and the women's two-person bobsleigh. She went into Beijing ranked third in monobob.

"Overall I would say it's a positive experience, especially this week with two-woman. Monobob, definitely disappointed," the Toronto native said. "I had a lot of high expectations.

The disappointment left her with lessons learned in handling pressure.

"I think I [without] realizing it, put a lot of pressure on myself to manufacture results instead of letting it happen," Appiah said. "That was what I moved into the two-woman week with — not to focus on the result but to focus on each run. 

"Even though I finished in the exact same position in both disciplines, I was much happier going into the two-woman week and happy with the results I came out with. Main takeaway would be to not put so much expectations and such pressure on myself."

WATCH | Appiah suffers crash in 3rd heat of two-woman event:

Appiah had a frightening crash in the third heat of the two-person event, but she and she and Richardson Wilson felt good that they were able to come back and have a good run in their fourth and final heat, despite being out of medal contention.

Appiah came into Beijing not only seeking a medal, but hoping to change the perceptions some people have about Black athletes serving as pilots in bobsled, and proving that she and others like her belong.

"Within the sport of bobsleigh, there is some kind of invisible ceiling