JUSTIN OLSEN OF TEAM USA MEN'S BOBSLED!

Justin Olsen
Team USA Bobsled
(Photo: Charlie Booker & USBSF)
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San Antonio, Texas brings to mind the famous River Walk tourist area. It also happens to be the home of push athlete Justin Olsen--our final profile of "The Night Train"--even if Olympic regulations require that title to be removed from the sled. Olsen's team mates are driver Steve Holcomb and fellow push athletes Steve Mesler and Curt Tomasevicz.

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JUSTIN OLSEN

Justin Olsen's life passion was ignited after attending the United States Air Force Academy for one year. His mother heard about Team USA Bobsled tryouts during a radio broadcast in 2007. For Olsen, this became his true calling. After attending a series of bobsled camps and successfully testing for the team, Olsen met Team USA driver Steve Holcomb. But it was the first half of 2008 before Holcomb became convinced that Olsen was committed. "When he first came out, he seemed like he just wanted to do bobsled as a side thing. But over the summer of '08, he decided he wanted to be serious about it. He came out and made my team, and six months later he's a world champion. He's worked hard. He's very focused, and he does a great job at everything he puts his mind to", said Holcomb.

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As a member of Holcomb's four-man squad, "The Night Train", Olson and his team mates earned one silver and two bronze medals during the first half of the 2008-09 World Cup season. During the 2009 World Championships in Lake Placid, the 4-man team claimed the Gold medal.

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FAST FACTS ABOUT JUSTIN

• 2009-2010 World Cup as push athlete for Steven Holcomb in the four-man-7th in Park City (Nov., 2009), GOLD in Lake Placid (Nov., 2009), GOLD in Cesana (Dec., 2009), GOLD in Winterberg (Dec., 2009), SILVER in Altenberg (Dec., 2009), SILVER in Konigssee (Jan., 2010), 4th in St. Moritz (Jan., 2010), 8th in Igls (Jan., 2010).

• 2009-2010 World Cup as push athlete for Steven Holcomb & John Napier in the two-man-SILVER in Lake Placid (Nov., 2009), 5th in Cesana (Dec., 2009), 19th in Altenberg (Dec., 2009), 14th in St. Moritz (Dec., 2010).

• 2009 U.S. National Bobsled Push Champion

• 2009 U.S. National Champion as a push athlete for Steve Holcomb in the four-man
  

• 2008-2009 World Cup as a push athlete for Steve Holcomb in the four-man-BRONZE in Winterberg (Nov., 2008), 7th in Altenberg (Dec., 2008). SILVER in Igls (Dec., 2008)-GOLD at 2009 World Championships in Lake Placid (Feb., 2009).

• 2008-2009 World Cup as a brakeman for Steve Holcomb in the two-man-SILVER in Altenberg (12/08), BRONZE in Igls (12/08).

• 2007-2008 World Cup as push athlete for John Napier -15th in St. Mortiz (1/08), 18th in Konigssee (2/08)

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"My role in bobsledding for the four-man is that I push on the left side. My job is to get the sled moving as fast as possible and to not make it slow down when I load. So, when (Steve) Holcomb loads, I have to be right there behind him--I can't just keep running on the ice. I have to get in as quickly as possible so that the other guys on the sled can continue as well. I'm the first push athlete in, but the last one to sit down. It's interesting, in that I get in and we all kind of sit down on top of each other--sort of. I can't sit down unless (Steve) Mesler sits down behind me. I take a lot of pride and that's one of the biggest reasons why I'm in the sport. And I feel like everybody has their way of giving back. So, some people join the military. Some people go into politics and they want to give back to the country in that way. Everybody gives back in their own way. Mine seemed to be back and forth. But here I am".

--Justin Olsen