Ken Kotyk

Kenneth Alfred Kotyk, OLY (born February 7, 1981) is a Canadian former Olympic bobsledder and athletic performance coach. A brakeman in four-man bobsleigh, Kotyk competed internationally from 2003 to 2010, representing Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, where he finished fourth. He earned a silver medal at the 2007 FIBT World Championships and a bronze at the 2005 FIBT World Championships, and accumulated twelve Bobsleigh World Cup podium finishes, primarily alongside driver Pierre Lueders.

Early life and education Kotyk was born on February 7, 1981, in Canora, Saskatchewan, and grew up on the family grain farm in nearby Rama, Saskatchewan. The Kotyk family is of Ukrainian descent. During his time at the university, Kotyk competed as a sprinter in track and field and played volleyball on the Huskies teams, and also had involvement in Huskies football and shot put. By the 2004–05 season, he had progressed to regular World Cup participation, competing consistently with Lueders' crew across European tracks. The team placed 0.23 seconds behind the bronze medallists. 2007 (St. Moritz): Silver medal in the four-man event with Lueders, David Bissett, and Brown, finishing 0.23 seconds behind the German crew led by André Lange. and a win in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, on January 13, 2008, with a two-run time of 1:47.95.

His World Cup podiums spanned venues including St. Moritz, Königssee, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Calgary, Cesana, Park City, and Lake Placid.

Records

Kotyk holds the Canadian bobsleigh push-start record, set at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary in 2005. During the 2005 FIBT World Championships, his crew with Lueders, Alexander, and Brown also set a track record on the second run of the four-man competition at Canada Olympic Park.

Post-competition career After retiring in 2010, Kotyk began coaching at The Athlete Factory in Calgary.

In 2023, Kotyk founded Kotyk Athletic Performance, an independent coaching business in Calgary specialising in strength and conditioning. He was also recruited as director of the Wolves Den facility and student athletic mentor at West Island College in Calgary.

Attempted comeback (2025) In 2025, Kotyk attempted a return to competition at age 44, aiming to qualify for Canada's four-man bobsleigh team at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. His motivation centred on his fourth-place finish at the 2006 Olympics, where his team had missed bronze by 0.23 seconds.

Personal life Kotyk is the father of two daughters and resides in Calgary, Alberta.