Just under four years ago, chasing an Olympic dream wasn't top of mind for University of Manitoba graduate Sebastien Regnier. He had been accepted into UM's Master's of Physiotherapy program after obtaining his B.Sc with a major in biology, and his life was shaping up well. Fast forward to present day, and the 26-year-old is one of the top up-and-coming skeleton athletes in Canada, training alongside some of the best in the world as part of the national team program. 

Regnier's journey in skeleton is thanks in part to Bisons track and field sprints coach Rob Ellchuk – who has coached athletes who have won gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Olympics and Paralympics in skeleton. Regnier, upon the encouragement of Ellchuk, got in touch with Canada's head coach, Joe Cecchini, and he took part in his first push session at the Ice House – Canada's off-season training facility – in Calgary in June of 2023. 

Regnier – a standout sprinter, Canada West champion and captain on the Bisons track and field team – was in town for a track meet, and he quickly picked up how to push a sled, aided by his speed and power background, along with the dedication, focus and resilience that helped him excel as a Bison.  

"The Ice House track essentially just includes the start portion of the track. You push the sled, get on and it's like a half pipe so it comes back up and stops instead of going down, so you get to train your start in the summers. It was a pretty quick time," reflected Regnier. 

"I remember [Cecchini] telling me, 'yeah I can get you to the Olympics.' I didn't really think a lot about it. I was like, how can you tell? But Joe has a lot of confidence in me, and he obviously did that day."

Regnier was set to start physio school in six weeks, and at the time, he thought he could manage his academic workload and still train for skeleton beginning in the fall. But upon further reflection, he knew he'd have to make a choice. 

In July of 2023, after speaking to many different people he trusted, he decided to bet on himself, moving across the country to Whistler to begin his skeleton journey. 
 

"It took me maybe a week and a bit. I spoke to a lot of different people. I spoke to my family and friends. I also worked at a physio clinic at the time, and I spoke to a few of the phyios, and I bounced this whole thing off them. Every single one, to a tee was like, go do this," said Regnier. 

"After speaking to Joe, and to everyone that I trusted, it was completely unanimous. I emailed [Cecchini] and decided to commit to skeleton fully. Joe had set me up to live in Whistler and work at the track. I moved into my apartment three days before that training camp. 

Working at the track helped Regnier understand the sport from a different perspective, especially when he transitioned from the push phase, to full-on sliding. He went to his first training camp in August of 2023, and after just eight sessions in the Ice House, he set the national push start record. Then, in December, he finished in the top ten in his first international skeleton races.

"After those first three weeks of crazy sliding, because I got the funding, I was on the next gen team, which is part of the development program. I was the only recruit that year. Because I was the only new person, Joe was like let's get you racing. That was in Park City, Utah. That track is very friendly, it's so different than in Whistler. It was a new track and a lot of learning again. In both of my races I was in the top ten. That was because in Park City, your start is super important because it's a glider track. If you have a really good start, and you do nothing you'll go fast there. I pushed fast and just held on," he noted.

"I was super excited to get two top tens. I didn't really know what I was doing still. Park City will always be a really special track for me, because that's where I got my first races, and they went really well."

Regnier's UM roots are with him wherever he goes. Early on in his training, he earned the nickname of The Bison. 

"Before I made it on the national team, all of my athletic wear was U of M stuff. So I just wore my U of M stuff all of the time, and I still do. That's where I'm from. This is what I did before I did skeleton. If I hadn't been here running track, I wouldn't be here doing skeleton for Team Canada," he said. 

"It's super special to be an alum from the U of M and still have so many friends on the team, and to get back and come and train here. I'm still at the HPTC, I'm still at the track when I'm home. It really never feels like I'm disconnected from the Bisons, which is really cool. I'm still part of the Herd, and I always will be."




Support, stability and overcoming setbacks
Despite his quick progression, the sport has still taken its toll. It's extremely daunting, technical and physically demanding, with athletes traveling through corners (around 16 for Olympic tracks) at speeds up to 135-140 km/h (80-90 mph), feeling G-forces up to 5G.

Regnier suffered a dislocated shoulder early in his career, and has taken many bumps and bruises, learning countless lessons, along the way. 

"Two weeks into sliding, you move from corner ten to corner six, to corner three. I got to the top at the end of the two weeks which is a rather quick progression. The first week after was the first week of international training. I was put on an actual racing sled, which was different than the sled I was training on," he recalled.

"I was crashing everywhere. I had to almost re-learn everything I had learned in the first two weeks in this new sled."

Through it all, Regnier leaned on the support of those he trusted, including his veteran teammates and Ellchuk, a fellow UM grad, Bisons track and field alum, medalist and Canada West Hall of Famer.  

"Because of the experience Rob has had with [training athletes who compete in skeleton], I can text him all the time when I'm away and spew what I'm thinking, the day-to-day stuff that crosses my mind," he said. 

"Not only do I trust his programming, I also trust him at a human level, and can be vulnerable with him. If things are going bad, I can talk to him, and if things are going great, I can talk to him. He's so good at figuring me out in that sense."

Through patience, perseverance and a tireless work ethic, Regnier has continued to improve. He was on the watch list for this February's Olympics in Milano Cortina (qualifying period started in July of 2024), but was derailed due to a torn quad. 

After recovering, his ventures continued. He recently joined his national team peers in Norway as a forerunner, and will passionately support those who are Olympic bound this year, in Hallie Clarke (world women's champion in 2024), Jane Channell (attending her third games) and Josip Brusic. 

"Being able to train alongside them, and being alongside them was super motivating. This is where I want to be, I can get there no problem. I know I'll get there, it's just a matter of time. I'm so excited to watch the Olympics, for my teammates. I'll personally know all the athletes competing, which is really, really cool."