World champion speed skater and Liberty theology student zooms in on bid to Winter Olympics for Canada

As a member of Team Canada’s long track NextGen speedskating team for the past two years, Anders Johnson has balanced training for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan, Italy, with pursuing his B.S. in Theology — Apologetics through Liberty University Online Programs.

“I grew up in a really solid Christian home with good Bible teaching, so to continue on with my learning through Liberty University and to focus in on apologetics has been a blessing,” said Johnson, 27, who was born in Ontario and has lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, for the past 10 years. “Sharing the Gospel through Christian apologetics is where my heart lies.”

In February 2024, Johnson played a pivotal role in Canada’s dramatic World Championships gold-medal skate in the Team Sprint, posting a time of 1 minute 17.17 seconds, a world record at the time. That race took place on the 400-meter Olympic Oval in Calgary, site of the 1988 Winter Games. In a photo finish, Johnson and teammates Laurent Dubreuil and Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu edged a team from The Netherlands by 0.002 seconds.

“I really felt the power of the Holy Spirit through that whole race,” Johnson said. “We went out smooth off the start, and the Lord was working through me and controlling each stride. We all stayed together, which was huge, and to date, that was my best split for the last lap. I realize now how special that time was, and I am excited for this year, Lord willing, where He will take the skating.”

Johnson started ice skating before he turned 3 which is not that uncommon in Canada.

“Winter sports and ice-based stuff has been part of our family and culture forever,” he said.

He said he originally hoped to follow the path traced by his grandfather, Danny Johnson, who played center for the Vancouver Canucks and later was a teammate of NHL Hall of Famer Bobby Hull with the Winnipeg Jets in the World Hockey Association.

“I love playing hockey as well as speedskating and want to honor his legacy by trying to do my best in my chosen sport.”

The Team Sprint is not an event at the Winter Olympics, but Johnson is hopeful he can secure his Olympic spot in Italy in his two individual events, the 500 and 1,000 meters.

“To make it to the Olympics, you’ve got to be ranked No. 1 or 2 at the trials in your distance,” Johnson said, noting he is currently in the No. 2 position in the 500 meters, chasing Laurent Dubreuil, and is hopeful of moving into the top two in the 1,000 event as well.

The nine members of Team Canada who will compete in Italy will be selected based on last year’s performances and results from the Oct. 23-26 Canadian Long Track Championships in Calgary and the Jan. 3-6 Olympic Skate-Off in Quebec City.

Recently, Johnson and other Canadian skaters have been training in Salt Lake City, site of the 2002 Winter Games, with members of the United States national team, before competing in four World Cups — two in Europe in December and one in Salt Lake City and another in Calgary in November.

Johnson has developed a following on his Instagram page (@anders.jd.johnson) and other social media accounts.

“Lord willing, I want to use that as a platform to be an encouragement and a blessing. The Lord has opened up really good conversations, and I have been able to share the Gospel with teammates and coaches. Where one waters, the others plant and reap, as (the Apostle) Paul said; I’m really praying for that.”

Although he said his training can be isolating and both physically and psychologically exhausting, he said he maintains his focus on the eternal by staying plugged into his church family at Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapel in Calgary, using his musical talents to lead Wednesday night worship on occasion.

He also has become involved with the Canadian Sport Institute, a high-performance organization servicing national team athletes in Alberta.

“They have a sports chaplain, Steve Sellers from Athletes in Action, who started up a Bible study last year and was able to invite all different athletes in different sports that train here,” Johnson said. “It is a place for Christians from different sports to come together and encourage one another in the Lord.”

Johnson’s understanding of how to lead others to faith has become clearer since enrolling with Liberty in 2020.

“Originally, I thought of apologetics as a classical debate,” he said. “Now, I see that it is really more about taking a position where you are trying to answer the question of where your hope comes from, with the goal not to win an argument but to win a soul for Christ. It is important for you as a believer to really know what you believe and why you believe it, to study to show yourself approved unto God. The goal of apologetics is to remove roadblocks that the enemy may use, (like) ‘This is why I can’t believe the Bible,’ or ‘This is why God’s Word isn’t true,’ to bring them to Christ.”

He said he has thoroughly enjoyed his studies, being able to talk remotely with various faculty members and complete classwork around his training schedule.

“As a homeschooler growing up, I am used to doing online learning and finding that balance between classes and activities,” Johnson said. “I wish I could be down on site at the university (campus) itself, and maybe the Lord would work that out in the future. My goal is to finish out that degree and use that to go into full-time ministry after my competitive speed skating career is done.”  He plans to graduate in 2027.