Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Yohan Dion Eskrick-Parkinson | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Canadian, Jamaican | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 22 June 2000[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Country | Canada | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Diving, Bobsleigh | ||||||||||||||
Event(s) | Two-man, Four-man (bobsleigh) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Yohan Dion Eskrick-Parkinson (born 22 June 2000) is a Canadian-Jamaican diver and bobsledder. In bobsleigh, he represented Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics.[2]
Career
Diving
Eskrick-Parkinson was recruited to diving at a young age after a local coach noticed his lack of fear of heights on the diving board. He went on to join Dive Calgary, and competed in the Canadian junior nationals in diving from ages 11–18.[3] In college, Eskrick-Parkinson joined the diving team of Northwestern University, and competed regularly in Big Ten Conference diving events.[4] While at Northwestern, Eskrick-Parkinson reached out to Jamaican diver Yona Knight-Wisdom, and the two formed the first synchronized diving team represening Jamaica. The pair first competed together in Scotland at the Scottish national and open diving championships in 2021.[5] The duo appeared at the 2023 and 2024 World Aquatics Championships as well as the 2024 Diving World Cup both as a team and in individual events, with the goal of qualifying for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. While Knight-Wisdom would qualify and appear at the games, Eskrick-Parkinson was unable to finish well enough to qualify himself.[6]
Bobsleigh
After failing to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Eskrick-Parkinson initially intended to end his sporting career and pursue medical school.[7] After returning home to Calgary, he came in contact with one of his former weight coaches, Lascelles Brown, who was an Olympic bronze medalist in bobsleigh for Canada.[3] Brown convinced Eskrick-Parkinson to try bobsleigh, and he began training as part of Canada's national team in 2024.[3] In his first competitive appearance, at the IBSF Pan American Championships in November 2024, he earned a gold medal in four-man as a pusher for the team of Taylor Austin.[8] He earned two more gold medals in North America cup competition immediately after, marking three victories in his first three bobsleigh starts.[1] In 2025, he began to compete full-time in the Bobsleigh World Cup.
Eskrick-Parkinson was selected as part of Canada's bobsleigh team for the 2026 Winter Olympics as a pusher for the team of Jay Dearborn in four-man.[2] The team placed 20th in the event.[2]
Personal life
Eskrick-Parkinson has Jamaican heritage, and holds dual citizenship with both Canada and Jamaica.[9] He graduated from Northwestern University in 2022 with a degree in neuroscience.[10]
References
- ^ a b "Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson". IBSF.org. International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ a b c d "Yohan ESKRICK-PARKINSON". Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ a b c Pedersen, Kylee (28 October 2024). "From the pool to the ice: How a Calgary athlete is making the switch from elite diving to Olympic bobsleigh". cbc.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ "Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson". nusports.com. Northwestern Athletics. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ Siegel, Austin (Spring 2026). "Northwestern Diver Makes History for Jamaica". magazine.northwestern.edu. Northwestern Magazine. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ Koos, Torin (5 February 2026). "Dive to Thrive: Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson achieves his Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympics dreams". worldaquatics.com. World Aquatics. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ Saelhof, Todd (18 February 2026). "Former diver jumps into bobsled to chase his Olympic dream for Canada at Milano-Cortina Games". nationalpost.com. National Post. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ "NAC results from Whistler in 4-man Bobsleigh and 2-woman Bobsleigh". IBSF.org. International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ Koos, Torin (17 December 2024). "From the springboard to an icy track: Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson's unlikely Olympic pursuit". worldaquatics.com. World Aquatics. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ "Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson". olympic.ca. Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 11 March 2026.