CALGARY — Olympic silver medalist Tristan Walker is preparing for life after he puts away his sled.
The national luge athlete will turn to the sky, currently balancing the workload of training for the 2022 Olympics and certifying himself for a commercial helicopter pilot’s license.
“My grandfather was a jet fighter pilot. I grew up everything aviation,” said Walker.
“I’ll be 30-years-old at the 2022 Olympics so that’s going to be time to really look at what my career after retirement at 30 looks like.”
Walker says he plans on competing at the next Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.
“I’m not looking at what I’m going to do next, this kind of void of post-athletic career that I know scares a lot of athletes,” said Walker.
The now 28-year-old is in the early stages of receiving his license, having completed six of the required 100 hours so far.
He hopes to complete his pilot training during the summer of 2022, following the Beijing games.
Walker’s silver medal at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang came in the luge team relay with partner Justin Snith.
