Canadian Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Heil of Spruce Grove, Alberta has been named the Chef de Mission for Canada at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Heil is the third Canadian skier and first Canadian freestyle skier to be named the Canadian Chef de Mission. She follows Ken Read of Calgary, Alberta, who was the Chef de Mission for Canada at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, and Steve Podborski of Toronto, Ontario, who was the Chef de Mission for Canada at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.
Heil’s most notable achievement was winning gold in women’s moguls at the last time the Olympic Winter Games were in Italy–the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin. She also won the silver medal in women’s moguls at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Heil has the distinction of being Canada’s first medalist at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin and the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
Heil also won four gold medals at the World Freestyle Skiing Championships. She was first in dual moguls in 2007 in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, in 2009 in Inawashiro, Italy, and in 2011 in Deer Valley, Utah. Also at the 2011 World Freestyle Skiing Championships, Heil won gold in women’s moguls. The two world championship gold medals in 2011 was the reason why Heil won the 2011 Bobbie Rosenfeld Award, presented to the Canadian female athlete of the year.
