Two former CFL players competed in the two-man bobsleigh at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Tuesday, finishing off the podium.
Shaq Murray-Lawrence competed alongside pilot Austin Taylor, crossing the line 4.9 seconds behind the leader. That put their sled in 18th place, as the three German teams swept the podium.
The native of Scarborough, Ont., played five seasons in the CFL with the B.C. Lions, Montreal Alouettes, and Saskatchewan Roughriders. He carried the ball 48 times for 151 yards, caught 13 passes for 73 yards, returned 67 kickoffs for 1,478 yards, and scored three touchdowns.
At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Canada’s three sleds finished seventh, 10th, and 20th in the two-man event.
Former CFL defensive back Jay Dearborn and his brakeman, Mike Evelyn O’Higgins, also competed in the event, finishing in 23rd place. They did not make the cut for the fourth and final heat, sitting 4.99 seconds back after three runs. It marked the lowest finish by a Canadian sled in the event at the Olympics since 2002 in Salt Lake City.
Dearborn played 22 regular-season games as a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats over three seasons. The Carleton University product recorded 18 defensive tackles, six special teams tackles, and two interceptions.
The native of Yarker, Ont., went viral on Monday when he and O’Higgins gave a post-run interview using exclusively hockey clichés.
“We talked to coach after the first period there, we’re really thinking about just getting the puck in deep, dump-and-chase, the classics,” Dearborn told the CBC.
“We’re just trying to stick to the process,” said O’Higgins. “I’m here to bang bodies, get pucks deep, get in front of the net, maybe get in the goalie’s eyes, and see what we can do. You’ve gotta roll with the play, and I’m here to play my role.”
Dearborn is one of four athletes with CFL connections competing in the bobsleigh in Milano Cortina alongside Murray-Lawrence, Hamilton Tiger-Cats receiver Keaton Bruggeling, and 2025 CFL Draft prospect Luka Stoikos.
The competition for the four-man bobsleigh will begin on February 21 as Dearborn and Stoikos compete as part of one team and Murray-Lawrence and Bruggeling compete as part of another. Medals will be awarded on February 22.
