Chasing Gold, Anchored in Faith: A Calvary Chapel Speed Skater’s Olympic Pursuit
Every race is decided in fractions of a second—but Anders Johnson knows the most important ground he stands on isn’t ice. As he competes in the 2026 Winter Olympics, the elite speed skater from Calvary Chapel Rocky Mountain, Calgary, Canada, is chasing gold while remaining anchored in a faith that has shaped his discipline, perspective, and purpose far beyond the finish line.
Photos by Francis Faurot
As part of their training, the Canadian National Team speed skaters use a tension-producing elastic cable to strengthen their core and lower body and increase endurance. Anders Johnson is skating.
Anders (center) and two members of Canada’s long track National Team perform speed drills at Calgary’s Olympic Oval, the site of the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Pray for Anders Johnson, a Christian believer and active member of Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapel in Calgary, AB, Canada, as he competes in the XXV Olympic Winter Games starting Friday, February 6, in Milan, Italy. Anders, 28 years old, is one of seven Canadians chosen for the men’s long track speed skating events, to be held at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium. Pray also that Anders has opportunities to shine the light of Jesus as he interacts with fellow athletes, officials, and the international community he encounters.
Anders’s first event, the 1,000-meter race, will be held on Wednesday, February 11. His second, the 500-meter, will be on Saturday, February 14. Medals will be awarded on those days.
“Right now, Anders is just preparing, practicing. He sent us a picture of him lifting weights today, and he did a practice race. He said it felt good,” his brother, Brett Johnson, shared on Wednesday. “The one we’re most excited about, that I can see him doing really well in, is the 500-meter.”
Canadian National Team skaters Anders Johnson (left) and Marc-Andre Doyon engage in lighthearted rivalry during a warmup session. Anders’s team set a world record at Calgary’s 2024 World Championship, winning gold.
Anders pushes a fitness sled across the track. Although he trains six to eight hours a day, he remains actively involved at Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapel (RMCC) in Calgary, AB, Canada, and uses his platform to share Christ.
Encouraged by his mother, Anders started speed skating in his senior year of high school. “God opened doors all along the way,” Anders explained. Since 2022, he has been on the national Canadian long track speed skating team. Saved at just 3 years old and committing to ministry in high school, one of his role models is the late Scottish Olympian and missionary Eric Liddell. “When he ran, he felt God’s pleasure. I feel the same way when I am skating,” Anders commented. When not speed skating, he works at a local golf course and is pursuing an apologetics degree from Liberty University in Virginia.
Anders qualified for the Olympics on January 3—on the birthday of an uncle who passed away not long ago, Brett recounted. “That was a special day for us. Qualifying for the Olympics was a huge thing for him. There was a lot of competition in Canada, with 10 other guys also trying to get that spot. Praise the Lord, he beat them out.” Those competitors, Brett added, were all really close to each other [in times]. “But the Lord helped Anders to be a good chunk ahead of everyone. He had been pretty close with the other guys all year, but when it came to the qualifying event, the Lord just blessed him with an extra portion, and he was able to put some extra times down. He really, really earned his spot.”
Giving Glory to the Lord
“Anders is an athlete because he knows it’s the right thing to do. He always gives the glory to the Lord,” declared Brett, who shares a home with his brother. “I see him getting up when it’s dark and early, and he goes almost every day to go out to train. And he does it twice a day. He doesn’t complain; he puts his nose to the grindstone.”
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24
Glen Nudd (left), pastor of Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapel in Calgary, AB, Canada, exhorts Anders, who is part of the congregation to run with endurance the race that is set before him—both in his faith and his Olympic endeavors.
Brett acknowledges the importance of this time in his brother’s life but noted that Anders has a “steady view” of his opportunity to be an Olympian. “People will go up to him and say, ‘I could never do what you did. It’s just so amazing.’ He responds, ‘You know what, it’s not that I am anything, it’s just that I did something.’ He definitely sees it in a light that he’s nothing too special, which is fun to watch.”
While in Italy, Anders will have many opportunities to speak—with a lot of people listening, from supporters to news coverage. “So we’re just praying that he would be able to shine his light for Jesus,” Brett affirmed. Brett will join Anders in Milan as a videographer, documenting the whole experience “and putting the Gospel message in there.”
Anders’s mom and dad will be in Milan to support their son as well. “It feels like a real blessing for all of us to be able to go, to be there for him. It’s just so important that we’re there when he’s racing to yell our lungs out of our chests,” Brett shared with a smile and hearty laugh.
Anders (left) and Marc-Andre perform plyometic drills, such as the single-leg sprint jump, which increase leg strength, giving the skaters power, explosive coordination, and sprint speed.
Anders gives an encouraging word to National Team speed skater Cooper Emin (left) as they lace-up for practice.
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