CORTINA d'AMPEZZO, ITALY — What started as a nine-to-five engineering career has turned into an Olympic dream for McMaster graduate Mark Zanette.

The former Marauders baseball outfielder has officially qualified for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games as a member of Canada's four-man bobsleigh team, completing one of the most remarkable sport transitions in recent McMaster history. Just over a year ago, Zanette had never pushed a sled. Now, he is preparing to race down the world's fastest tracks wearing the maple leaf.

"It's been pretty wild," Zanette said. "I graduated in 2023, started working a job like all my other classmates, and then went through the RBC Training Ground program, which basically transitioned me into bobsleigh."

RBC Training Ground is a national talent identification and athlete funding program designed to find young athletes with Olympic potential and provide them with the resources they need to achieve their podium dreams. With the belief that high-performance sport should be accessible to all, the program travels the country searching for athletes between the ages of 14 and 25 who will help fuel the Canadian Olympic pipeline.

Zanette, who played for the Marauders from 2018 to 2022, was first identified through RBC Training Ground while attending a testing session at Mohawk College. Coaches noticed transferrable skills, particularly his speed and power, and believed he could be a natural fit for bobsleigh.

"I met one of the coaches there who discovered me and thought I might have a knack for bobsleigh based on some physical markers," he explained. "They invited me out to Calgary, I did some pushing in their ice house, and then I was invited to national team camp."

The transition was swift. After earning his spot at camp, Zanette was named to the Canadian national team and, just a week later, found himself in Whistler, B.C. for preseason training. His rapid development continued into the competitive season, where strong testing performances earned him a place on the World Cup circuit.

"After Christmas, we were touring around Europe, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, all these amazing places," he said. "That season wrapped up at the world championships in Lake Placid. It all happened really fast."

For Zanette, the athletic foundation was built long before bobsleigh. As a Marauder outfielder, he was known for his speed, strength, and dedication to training – traits that would later prove essential on the push track.

"I didn't realize it as much at the time, but my speed was a big part of why I got recruited," he said. "One of the tests is a 30-metre dash, and I did pretty well in that. I guess I had some sneaky speed, and I was always a powerful guy who loved the gym. That translated pretty well."

Despite the seamless physical fit, the sport itself was a shock to the system.

"The first time going down the tube was awful," Zanette laughed. "I was so nauseous and sick. If I had not done RBC Training Ground and the whole process, I probably would have dropped my spikes right there and said I was done. But I stuck with it, and eventually it got better. Now it is something I enjoy."

Zanette now serves as a brakeman on Canada's four-man sled, one of the powerful push athletes responsible for generating speed at the start before jumping into the sled for the descent.

"The team is separated into pilots and brakemen," he explained. "The pilots steer, while us brakemen are kind of the big brutes. We push the sled, hop in, sit still, and try not to move too much."

In the four-man event, Zanette is the second athlete to load into the sled, pushing from the side before launching inside. Once the run is complete, it is the brakeman at the back who pulls the brakes in the outrun, a necessity when sleds can exceed 150 kilometres per hour.

"It takes a long time to slow down," he said. "You really feel the speed."

The past year and a half has been a whirlwind of training, travel, and competition. Following his first international season, Zanette made the bold decision to go all in on bobsleigh during an Olympic year, resigning from his engineering job and relocating to Calgary to train full time with the national team at WinSport.

"I went back and forth about picking up a job, but I said, 'You know what, it is Olympic year. I am going to focus fully on bobsleigh and go all in,'" he said. "I had a really good off-season, came into testing, performed well again, and made the World Cup team. Then we traveled around the world again, and I was lucky enough to qualify."

The official confirmation came during a team meeting shortly after the squad returned from Europe.

"We found out on Tuesday," Zanette said. "We flew in from Europe on Monday, and then on Tuesday we had a meeting with the coaches. That was probably the most nervous I have ever been walking into a meeting. But it was one of the coolest moments of my life."

His first call went to family.

"I called my brother, then my girlfriend, and my parents," he said. "It has been awesome seeing all the people you love reach out. You really realize how big your support system is."

While bobsleigh was not a childhood obsession, the Olympic dream itself always lingered.

"I remember watching bobsleigh at the Olympics, but it was never something I thought I would do," he said. "Like any Canadian kid, I wanted to be a professional hockey player. Watching the 2010 golden goal was a big moment for me. That was when I thought, 'If I ever get the opportunity to represent Canada, I am going to take it.'"

Zanette's journey also carries a strong McMaster connection beyond his own athletic career. Canadian bobsleigh legend and former Marauder running back Jesse Lumsden now serves as the program's director, offering guidance to athletes transitioning into the sport.

"Jesse is someone we talk to regularly," Zanette said. "He is a very decorated Marauder. The biggest advice he gave us was to enjoy the Olympics, but remember it is just another race and you are there to do a job. When a guy like that speaks, you definitely listen."

Looking back on his time in Hamilton, Zanette credits McMaster with shaping both his academic and athletic development.

"I loved McMaster," he said. "The engineering program was great, but sports were the biggest sell for me. We had a great team and a great group of guys. We did some pretty incredible things on the field, and outside of baseball, I met friends from volleyball, basketball, all over. It was very cool to experience the McMaster sports community and really feel like a Marauder."

With the four-man bobsleigh event scheduled to take place on the final two days of the games, Zanette's training schedule has been busy. His  team trained in Calgary before traveling to Italy last week for the opening ceremonies and pre-Olympic preparation at the Cortina Sliding Centre. Zanette admitted that while the anticipation of competing at the end of the Olympics will be tough, it will also allow him to soak in the full Olympic experience.

"Honestly, I am most looking forward to seeing the rings," he said. "I have never even been to the Olympics. Just seeing the village, the atmosphere, the people, the media, it is going to be the biggest event I have ever been a part of."

Zanette's story is a testament to adaptability, persistence, and the power of seizing unexpected opportunity. What began as a routine post-graduation career path has turned into a chance to represent Canada on the world's biggest sporting stage and another proud chapter in McMaster's growing Olympic legacy.

Zanette will compete starting Saturday, February 21st at 4 a.m. est on CBC and CBC Gem.