Cynthia Appiah
Sport: | Bobsleigh |
Position: | Pilot |
Birth Date: | May. 15, 1990 (age 34) |
Birth Place: | North York, ON |
Residence: | Toronto |
Twitter: | @thecynapps |
Instagram: | @thecynapps |
A standout shot put and hammer throw athlete at York University, Cynthia was introduced to bobsleigh in the summer of 2011 when she attended a testing camp at her university. Cynthia tested, went to her first bob school, completed school and has been on a steady progression since going to her second bobsleigh school in 2013.
Cynthia enjoyed a standout rookie season on the World Cup where she pushed both two-time Olympic champion, Kaillie Humphries, to a gold and bronze medal, along with rookie pilot Alysia Rissling to her first ever World Cup bronze medal. Cynthia has excelled with fast pushes and medal winning performances at all levels while working her way through the system, sliding provincially and on the North America’s Cup circuit.
After heading to PyeongChang as an alternate on Canada’s 2018 Olympic Bobsleigh Team, Cynthia switched positions in the sled into the driver’s seat. Weeks after returning from Korea, Cynthia headed to Lake Placid where she took part in a driver’s school and now has developed into one of the top pilots in the world. She finished third overall in the 2022 World Cup monobob standings with four podium finishes prior to making her Olympic debut as a pilot at the Beijing Games where she finished eighth in both the two-woman and monobob races.
She built on that Olympic experience by winning the Crystal Globe for the fist time as a pilot for finishing third overall on the World Cup in 2022-23 with five podiums. She also won a Crystal Globe once as a brakeman.
Cynthia also continues to be a force on the start block. She set a new Ice House start record from the pilot bar in 2019 at 5.41.
Outside of bobsleigh, Cynthia watches Jeopardy religiously. A trivia buff who watches way too much television, Cynthia is a huge Blue Jays fan, and previously worked in the team’s customer services department. Her
journey toward a life in elite sport began through a Jays Care Foundation outreach initiative where children from under-privileged Toronto neighbourhoods were invited to learn to play baseball at a local park.
She was recognized by her peers at Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton with the L. Lamont Gordon Award in 2019.
Cynthia is one of four siblings in her family, and has a BA History Major/Psychology minor.
Career Highlights
Women's Monobob
Gold | Silver | Bronze | Other | |
2023 - World Cup, Sigulda, LAT: | ||||
2023 - World Cup, Innsbruck, AUT: | ||||
2023 - World Championships, St. Moritz, SUI: 2- Woman | 8th | |||
2023 - World Championships, St. Mortiz, SUI: Monobob | 6th | |||
2023 - World Cup, Altenberg, GER: | 5th | |||
2023 - World Cup, Altenberg, GER: | ||||
2022- Push World Championships, Lake Placid, USA: | ||||
2022- World Cup, Park City, USA: | ||||
2022- World Cup, Whistler, CAN: | ||||
2022- North American Cup, Whistler, CAN: | ||||
2021 - World Championship, Altenberg, GER | 5th | |||
2021 - Women's World Monobob Series, Igls, AUT | 4th | |||
2021 - Women's World Monobob Series, Konigssee, GER: | 11th | |||
2021 - Women's World Monobob Series, Igls, AUT: | ||||
2019 - North American Cup, Lake Placid, USA: | ||||
2019 – Women’s Monobob Event, Lake Placid, USA |
2-Woman: Pilot
Gold | Silver | Bronze | Other | |
2023 - World Cup, Sigulda, LAT: | 6th | |||
2023 - World Championships, St. Moritz, SUI: | 8th | |||
2022- Push World Championships, Lake Placid, USA: | ||||
2022- North American Cup, Whistler, CAN | ||||
2021 - World Championships, Altenberg, GER | 9th | |||
2021 - World Cup, Innsbruck, AUT | 4th | |||
2021 - Europe Cup, Innsbruck, AUT | 5th | |||
2021 - Europe Cup, Altenberg, GER | 4th | |||
2020 - Europe Cup, Innsbruck, AUT: | 11th | |||
2020 - World Cup, Innsbruck, AUT: | 10th | |||
2020 - North American Cup, Lake Placid, USA: | ||||
2019 - North American Cup, Park City, USA: |
4th, 4th, 4th |
2-Woman: Brakewoman
Gold | Silver | Bronze | Other | |
2019 - World Championship, Whistler, CAN |
|
11th | ||
2019 – World Cup, Calgary, CAN |
7th |
|||
2017 – World Cup, Pyeongchang, KOR | ||||
2017 – World Cup, Koenigssee, GER | 4th | |||
2017 – World Cup, Winterberg, GER | 5th | |||
2016 – World Championships, Igls, AUT | 16th | |||
2016 – World Cup, Lake Placid, USA | ||||
2016 – World Cup, Whistler, CAN | ||||
2016 – World Cup, Lake Placid, USA | ||||
2016 – North America’s Cup, Calgary, CAN | ||||
2016 – North America’s Cup, Whistler, CAN | 4th | |||
2015 – North America’s Cup, Lake Placid, USA |
Olympic Winter Games Results
Pilot
Season |
Location |
Discipline |
Result |
Crew |
2021/22 |
Beijing, CHN | Monobob | 8th | |
2- Woman | 8th | Appiah, Richardson- Wilson | ||
World Championship Results
Pilot
Season |
Location |
Discipline |
Result |
Crew |
2022/23 |
St. Moritz, SUI | 2- Woman | 8th | Appiah, Haughey |
Monobob | 6th | |||
2020/21 |
Altenberg, GER | 2- Woman | 9th | Appiah, Voss |
|
Monobob | 5th |
Brakewoman
Season |
Location |
Discipline |
Result |
Crew |
2018/19 |
Whistler, CAN | 2- Woman | 11th | Rissling, Appiah |
2017/18 |
Koenigssee, GER | 2- Woman | 6th | Rissling, Appiah |
2016/17 |
Innsbruck, AUT | 2- Woman | 16th | De Bruin, Appiah |
World Cup Results
Pilot
Season |
Location |
Discipline |
Result |
Crew |
2022/23 |
||||
Sigulda, LAT | 2- Woman | 6th | Appiah, Walkeden | |
Monobob | 3rd | |||
Innsbruck, AUT | 2- Woman | 9th | Appiah, Haughey | |
Monobob | 3rd | |||
Altenberg, GER | 2- Woman | 7th | Appiah, Haughey | |
Monobob | 5th | |||
Altenberg, GER | 2- Woman | DSQ | Appiah, Walkeden | |
Monobob | 3rd | |||
Winterberg, GER | 2- Woman | 9th | Appiah, Walkeden | |
Monobob | 8th | |||
Lake Placid, USA | 2- Woman | 7th | Appiah, Voss | |
Monobob | 9th | |||
Park City, USA | 2- Woman | 7th | Appiah, Walkeden | |
Monobob | 3rd | |||
Whistler, CAN | 2- Woman | 6th | Appiah, Walkeden | |
Monobob | 2nd | |||
2021/22 |
||||
St Mortiz, SUI | 2-Woman | 7th | Appiah, Richardson Wilson | |
Monobob | 3rd | |||
Winterberg, GER | 2- Woman | 12th | Appiah, Richardson Wilson | |
Monobob | 5th | |||
Altenberg, GER | 2- Woman | 21st | Appiah, Richardson Wilson | |
Monobob | 2nd | |||
Winterberg, GER | 2- Woman | 8th | Appiah, Richardson Wilson | |
Monobob | 3rd | |||
Altenberg, GER | 2- Woman | 14th | Appiah, Richardson Wilson | |
Monobob | 2nd | |||
Innsbruck, AUT | 2- Woman | 8th | Appiah, Richardson Wilson | |
Monobob | 5th | |||
2- Woman | 12th | Appiah, Richardson Wilson | ||
Monobob | 4th | |||
2020/21 |
Innsbruck, AUT | 2- Woman | 4th | Appiah, Richardson Wilson |
2019/20 |
Innsbruck, AUT | 2- Woman | 10th | Appiah, Richardson Wilson |
Brakewoman
Season |
Location |
Discipline |
Result |
Crew |
2018/19 |
Calgary, CAN | 2- Woman | 7th | Rissling, Appiah |
2017/18 |
||||
Koenigssee, GER | 2- Woman | 14th | de Bruin, Appiah | |
Altenberg, GER | 2- Woman | 13th | de Bruin, Appiah | |
Winterberg, GER | 2- Woman | 21st | de Bruin, Appiah | |
Whistler, CAN | 2- Woman | 7th | Rissling, Appiah | |
Park City, USA | 2- Woman | 11th | de Bruin, Appiah | |
Lake Placid, USA | 2- Woman | 6th | de Bruin, Appiah | |
2016/17 |
||||
Pyeongchang, KOR | 2- Woman | 3rd | Rissling, Appiah | |
Innsbruck, AUT | 4- Man | 29th | Humphries, Lotholz, Lee, Appiah | |
Koenigssee, GER | 2- Woman | 4th | Humphires, Appiah | |
St Moritz, SUI | 4- Man | 32nd | Humphries, Lotholz, Lee, Appiah | |
Winterberg, GER | 2- Woman | 5th | Humphries, Appiah | |
4- Man | 27th | Humphries, Lotholz, Lee, Appiah | ||
Lake Placid, USA | 2- Woman | 3rd | Humphries, Appiah | |
Whistler, CAN | 2- Woman | 1st | Humphries, Appiah | |
2015/16 |
||||
St Moritz, SUI | 4- Man | 28th | Humphries, Lee, Lotholz, Appiah | |
Park City, USA | 4- Man | 21st | Humphries, Thibault, Lotholz, Appiah | |
4- Man | 21st | Humphries, Thibault, Lotholz, Appiah | ||
Lake Placid, USA | 4- Man | 17th | Humphries, Thibault, Lotholz, Appiah |