Cross-country skier Jesse Cockney represented Canada at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
Cockney is a Canadian cross-country skier from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, who grew up in Canmore, Alberta. He comes from a skiing family: his father, Angus Cockney, competed for Canada, and his younger sister, Marika Sila, became an international athlete and actor. Jesse Cockney is also of Inuvialuit heritage.
The PyeongChang Games were Cockney’s second Olympic appearance. He had made his Olympic debut at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, competing in the sprint and 50-kilometre events. In 2018, he competed in the men’s classic sprint and finished 35th overall.
Canada selected Cockney as part of its cross-country skiing team for PyeongChang. Before those Games, he had won three gold medals at the 2011 Canada Winter Games and had competed internationally on the World Cup circuit. A common mix-up is confusing the host country, South Korea, with the country Cockney represented; Olympic athletes compete for their national teams, and Cockney competed for Canada.