Kaillie Humphries wants more Olympic gold — only in new colours

For three Olympics, Kaillie Humphries not only competed for Canada — she was a star.

The bobsledder stood on the podium at all three Games, twice with a gold medal around her neck and once with bronze. 

After repeating as champions in the two-woman race at Sochi 2014, Humphries and brakeman Heather Moyse were named Canada's flag-bearers for the closing ceremony.

The Calgary native is set to make her fourth Olympic appearance in Beijing. But this time, she's adding blue to her red-and-white colour scheme as she races for the U.S.

"My feelings towards my Canadian teammates within the sport themselves are the same now as they were back then," Humphries told CBC Sports in a recent interview.

"And although, like I said, the clothing looks different, the mentality itself is very much of a competitor's mindset and it's me against the entire world."

Humphries sued for her release from Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) in August 2019, claiming a coach and management had violated the organization's own anti-harassment policies. One month later, a court ruled that the BCS had the discretion to decide whether to allow one of its athletes to compete for another country. Soon after, the BCS freed Humphries to slide for the U.S.

WATCH | Humphries slides to 2-woman gold at world championships for U.S.:

She now lives in San Diego and is married to former American bobsledder Travis Armbruster.

Humphries has competed as an American for three seasons. But her spot in Beijing during that time was always in question due to Olympic requirements that, in nearly every instance, athletes must hold citizenship in the country for whom they compete.

Humphries was sworn in as an American in December.

"I've had to fight for my citizenship in order to