For years, Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson’s life was defined by the clean sound of a perfect entry into the water. Precision, silence before the jump, the exact choreography with his partner. In 2024, he narrowly missed Olympic qualification in diving while representing Jamaica, and when the Paris 2024 dream slipped away by inches, he made a decision that would eventually lead him to Milano Cortina 2026. “After diving, I thought: ‘Alright, I’m ready to work, ready to move on to something else,’” he admitted. A neuroscience graduate from Northwestern University, with medical school already on his mind, that seemed like the logical next step.

The conversation that changed everything happened in a gym, between stairs and plyometric jumps. Lascelles Brown, a two-time Canadian Olympic bobsleigh medallist and his strength coach, watched him complete an explosive exercise and dropped a simple suggestion: “Maybe you should try bobsleigh.” Yohan remembers the moment with a mix of surprise and gratitude. “I took it very seriously. He’s someone I admire as an Olympian, and when someone like that tells you, ‘Give us a shot,’ it carries weight.”

From expert to beginner

The transition was not only sporting. It was deeply personal. Moving from mastering a diving board to climbing into a sled on an ice track meant accepting something many athletes struggle with: becoming a beginner again. “It’s very strange to go from being basically an expert in something to being a complete rookie, right?” he said, laughing. In July, he began training with a provincial team in Alberta. Soon after came an invitation to the national camp. His profile had caught the attention of key figures within the Canadian bobsleigh structure, including pilot Taylor Austin.

Talent, however, did not spare him humility. “I’ve watched footage of my first runs and I looked so much worse than the other guys,” he admitted. “I knew I had to accelerate my learning, grow really fast to catch up. And that meant listening.” In diving, his obsession had been elegance and control. In bobsleigh, the message was different: raw power. “In diving, I had to be fluid and elegant; here it’s 100 percent power. I’m not worried about how pretty it looks. I want to win a race.”

In the pool, time seemed to slow before hitting the water. On the ice track, the adrenaline is louder, shared, collective. “Bobsleigh has much higher energy. We hype each other up, it’s very intense before the start. In diving, you want to stay calm.” Yet in both worlds, he recognised the same sensation of hyper-awareness, of being fully in the moment. “I spoke to some pilots about what it feels like to dive, that sense of time slowing down, and they said, ‘You’ve got it.’ The feeling is very similar.”

Choosing to keep chasing the dream

After missing Olympic qualification in Doha, the sensible alternative was clear: stay in Calgary, work as a lifeguard, and prepare for medical school. He describes it plainly. “I could have stayed there and, in a year or two, gone into medicine and lived my life.” But something did not sit right. “I thought this would be a much more fulfilling story. It’s a chance to try something very few people ever get to try. If I didn’t do it, I’d probably regret it.”

“In diving, 24 can be your peak or just after it. In bobsleigh, I’m young—really young. It’s the perfect age to build and keep chasing the Olympic dream.” That idea of extending his life as an athlete proved decisive. He swapped swim briefs for a full-body race suit and began studying sprint technique through videos of Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake. “I’m learning how to run properly,” he explained. “I’ve got a lot to learn. I need to get faster. There’s a lot to do in a short time.”

Mentors, roots and belonging

Lascelles Brown’s influence went beyond technique. It was symbolic. Both share Jamaican roots and a Canadian sporting pathway. Brown competed internationally for Jamaica and Canada, winning Olympic medals in Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010. For Yohan, that dual identity has always been part of who he is.

In November 2024, just months after first trying the sport, he won his first two North American Cup races alongside Taylor Austin in Whistler. At the end of January, the Canadian Olympic Committee announced its pre-selection for Milano Cortina 2026. Yohan was named as a brakeman for the men’s teams. Across men’s and women’s sleds, Canada will bring 17 bobsleigh athletes to the Games.

When asked about Milano Cortina 2026, he does not speak about medals. He speaks about staying true to his ambition. “If I’m going to pursue high-level sport, I’m going to try to go all the way,” he says. “The only thing I didn’t achieve in diving was the Olympics—and we were very close.” The transition, he admits, has been “a humbling experience.” Alongside training, he continues to work part-time as a photo and video editor, always travelling with his camera, while keeping medicine in mind as a future possibility. Bobsleigh does not erase that path; it simply postpones the decision.