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