How a missed CFL chance led a toronto student to the olympics

Pretty surreal’: How a U of T architecture student turned a CFL setback into an Olympic debut

Eight months ago, Luka Stoikos was chasing a professional football career. Now, the University of Toronto architecture student is preparing to compete on the world’s biggest stage as a member of Canada’s bobsleigh team at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Stoikos had been training for the CFL Combine when he decided, almost on a whim, to attend RBC Training Ground — a talent identification event for prospective Olympic athletes — when it came to U of T.

“I’d already trained for the combine, so I figured I might as well do another one,” said Stoikos, who is studying architectural studies at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design.

At the event, he connected with Bobsleigh Canada and earned an invite to a camp. But football remained his priority at the time. Known at U of T as a powerful and explosive athlete, Stoikos had spent years in early-morning weight sessions, sprint training and film study, building a reputation as someone who could outrun defenders and power through grueling workouts.

“I told them, ‘I’m still trying to get drafted to the CFL. If that doesn’t work out, I’ll give you a call.’”

He was selected by the BC Lions in the 2025 CFL Draft and made it deep into training camp, only to be released the day before the team’s second preseason game. What could have been the end of a dream became a turning point.

“The night I got cut, I called my parents first,” Stoikos recalled. “The second call was to my contact at Bobsleigh Canada. I said, ‘When do I start?’”

His introduction to the sport in Calgary was humble. He began on a training sled frame in an indoor facility known as the Ice House, where athletes repeat push starts over and over. His football and track background immediately stood out.

“I’d touched the sled less than 10 times and put up a pretty solid time. They were impressed,” he said.

His first real track experience in Whistler was unforgettable.

“It felt like being in a bathtub, then a clothes dryer, and then going down a mountain,” he said with a laugh.

After a Whistler camp, coaches told him he’d be competing on the Bobsleigh World Cup circuit — a moment he describes as deeply emotional.

“That’s when I realized the Olympics might actually be possible.”

By November, Stoikos was racing internationally. When the season ended, the team regrouped in Calgary to learn who would be heading to Milano Cortina 2026.

Coaches called him in, asked how he felt about his first season, and then delivered the news: he was going to the Olympics.

“It was… pretty sweet,” he said.

Stoikos credits U of T coaches across football, track and strength and conditioning for shaping him into the athlete he is today. As the grandson of Macedonian and Italian immigrants, representing Canada carries special meaning.

“Canada gave my family so much. To give back and represent this country is honestly a blessing.”

What began as a fallback plan turned into an Olympic dream — one Stoikos still describes as “pretty surreal.”