Varsity baseball outfielder turned Olympic bobsleigh brakeman isn’t a trajectory Mark Zanette ever imagined for himself. But it’s one the Mechanical Engineering grad is embracing with enthusiasm — and with the support of a nation behind him.
The 25-year-old was recently named to Canada’s four-man bobsleigh team and is now in Italy for the Milano-Cortina Olympic Winter Games.
“I don’t think the nerves have hit me yet,” he laughs. “It’s been all excitement.”
“Being selected feels like the reward at the end of years of hard work.”
A path he never planned
Zanette didn’t grow up dreaming of bobsleigh. In fact, he didn’t sit in a sled until shortly after graduating from McMaster — an experience he remembers vividly: hurtling down an icy track at nearly 150 km/h, head down and relying only on feel to sense each turn and bump.
A lifelong multi-sport athlete, he played varsity baseball for the McMaster Marauders and first encountered bobsleigh through RBC Training Ground, a talent identification program promoted by McMaster Athletics. The program evaluates power, speed and explosiveness — qualities Zanette didn’t realize he possessed at an elite level.
“I never thought of myself as especially fast,” he says. “But apparently I was fast enough to get in the door.”
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.
After a Bobsleigh Canada coach encouraged him to give the sport a try, Zanette soon found himself flying to Calgary for camps, learning pushing technique and immersing himself in a new athletic world.
By fall 2024 — only six months after his first push of the bobsleigh — he made the national team. Two competitive seasons later, he’s now making his Olympic debut.
Read more about Mark Zanette’s move from baseball to bobsleigh – one of the most remarkable sport transitions in recent McMaster history.
Engineering grad Mark Zanette is the brakeman for the Canadian men’s bobsleigh team.
Building speed — and a team
As a brakeman, Zanette’s role on race day is deceptively simple: Push the sled with maximum power, load in cleanly, then remain perfectly still for the high-speed descent.
But behind the scenes, the work is far more complex.
“Only about 5 per cent of the sport is actually going down the track,” he explains. “The rest is maintaining sleds, transporting equipment, supporting our pilot — doing whatever it takes to perform on race day.”
His engineering training often plays a direct role.
“We’re constantly thinking about weight, aerodynamics and how to make the sled smoother,” he says. “That’s where my mechanical engineering background comes in handy.”
Despite competing against countries with larger budgets and more resources, he says Team Canada thrives because of its collaborative culture.
“We make the most of what we have. We work together. That’s Canada’s strength.”
McMaster roots
Zanette chose Mechanical Engineering because he always loved design and building things. Campus felt like the right fit from the moment he visited as a high-school student, he says.
Balancing a demanding engineering program with varsity sport helped shape him into the athlete he is today.
“I don’t think I’d be where I am without that experience,” he says. “Engineering teaches you to push through difficult days, manage your time and rely on your peers. Sport teaches the same lessons.”
He credits classmates — many of them varsity athletes as well — with helping him navigate the intense workload of training and academics.
“Like in sport, you don’t get through engineering alone,” he says. “It 100 per cent takes a village.”
The weight of the moment
Zanette will have a strong support system in Italy: His parents, brother and girlfriend will be in the stands. The moment also carries special meaning for his extended family — his grandparents emigrated from Italy, and he still has relatives living there.
“They’re so excited that the Games are in Italy,” he says. “It means a lot.”
The scale of what awaits him is still sinking in.
“I’m looking forward to the atmosphere — seeing the rings, the village, the athletes who’ve put their life’s work into getting there. I don’t think it will feel real until I’m standing there.”
One race at a time
Zanette hasn’t decided what comes after the Games. He may continue bobsleigh with an eye on the 2030 Olympics. He may return to engineering, ideally in a design-focused role. Most likely, he hopes to find a balance between both.
For now, his focus is clear: push, race and represent Canada proudly.
As he takes his mark on the world stage, Zanette carries with him the lessons of sport and engineering — and a community cheering him on from Hamilton to Italy.
“I’m so grateful to McMaster,” he says. “Everything I learned there helped get me to this moment.”