Education
She decided to try piloting a bobsled and attended driving school in Calgary in March 2014.
She decided to try piloting a bobsled and attended driving school in Calgary in March 2014.
After being introduced to bobsleigh in 2010, O’Brien had competed at the 2013 FIBT World Championships with pilot Jenny Ciochetti, but a torn hamstring took her out of the first half of the Olympic season and missed qualifying as a bobsleigh brakeman for the 2014 Winter Olympics. At the same time, there was a testing camp for Cycling Canada at the Canadian Sport Institute. After having scored good test results she was competing internationally within months.
In September she debuted at the Pan American Championships, finishing fifth in both the team sprint (with Monique Sullivan) and the keirin. O’Brien split 2014-15 between track cycling and bobsleigh, competing on both World Cup circuits as well as at both world championships. At the 2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships she and teammate Monique Sullivan finished 12th in the Women's Team Sprint.
In June 2015, within a two week span she bettered the 200m time trial record at the Lehigh Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown, PA. The previous 200m time trial record stood for 19 years. Her parents are Nick O’Brien and Beth Smith O’Brien.
She earned her Masters of Science (specialization: Joint Injury and Arthritis Research) from University of Calgary in 2015. Defended her thesis in December 2014.