Kamloops athlete and her husband named to Speed Skating Canada’s Olympic team

Jan 10, 2018 | 3:00 PM

KAMLOOPS — Yesterday Speed Skating Canada named its long track team for next months Olympics.    Among the group an athlete from Kamloops.    Josie Morrison, the former Josie Spence, will be going to the Olympics with her husband.

They were married last summer, and their’s is one of the geat stories.

It will be Denny Morrison’s fourth Olympics, but how he qualified is amazing

A year after he won silver at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Morrison broke his leg in a motorcycle crash.

Then 11 months after that in 2016 he suffered a stroke while on a bicycle trip in Utah with his future wife from Kamloops.

“There were days where — like really just lacking belief in myself and in my ability to make the comeback is what it comes down to.   It’s just been so hard.” says Denny Morrison.

Encouraging Denny was his wife Josie, who has made the Olympic women’s speed skating team for the first time.

“I saw that everyday how he wanted to be back here, and that was his goal.” says Josie.   “He never gave up on that, and that’s why he’s standing here today.” 

It’s a young team that will be looking to veterans like Denny Morrison in what has historically been one of Canada’s biggest medal producing winter sports.