We have been reporting on the four-man bobsled team made up of U.S. Army soldiers and the two soldiers who will participate in the luge event at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games, in addition to three U.S. Army soldier coaches — all from the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) .
Today the U.S. Olympic Committee officially announced Team USA that includes the nine soldiers.
Tim Hipps at the Army Installation Management Command writes:
The soldier-athletes named to Team USA are 2010 Olympic gold medalist in four-man bobsled Sgt. Justin Olsen, 26, of San Antonio; 2010 Olympic bobsledder Capt. Christopher Fogt, 30, of Alpine, Utah; 2010 Olympic bobsledder Sgt. Nick Cunningham, 27, of Monterey, Calif.; bobsledder Sgt. Dallas Robinson, 31, of Georgetown, Ky.; 2006 Olympic luger Sgt. Preston Griffall, 29, of Salt Lake City; and luger Sgt. Matt Mortensen, 28, of Huntington Station, N.Y.
Three WCAP coaches also will represent the U.S. Army in Russia. Team USA luge coach Staff Sgt. Bill Tavares, 50, of Lake Placid, N.Y., will be making his sixth appearance in the Olympics, including once as an athlete and five times as a coach. Team USA skeleton coach Sgt. 1st Class Tuffield “Tuffy” Latour, 45, of Saranac Lake, N.Y., will make his fourth trip to the Olympics. He has coached U.S. and Canadian men’s and women’s bobsledders to Olympic medals. Team USA assistant bobsled coach 1st Lt. Michael Kohn, 41, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., is a two-time Olympic competitor who will make his Olympic coaching debut at the Sochi Games. He won a bronze medal in four-man bobsled as a WCAP athlete at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
USA-1 bobsled driver Steven Holcomb, 33, of Park City, Utah, is the reigning Olympic champion in the four-man event. He spent seven years in the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program.
U.S. Army File photo by Tim Hipps: Army Sgt. Matt Mortensen, Chris Mazdzer, Kate Hansen and Army Sgt. Preston Griffall display flowers after earning silver in the team relay during the 2013 World Cup Luge stop at the Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah, Dec. 14, 2013. All four athletes were named to the U.S. Olympic Luge Team, which will compete during the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
The USA 230-member team includes 105 women and 125 men, “the largest athlete delegation for any nation in the history of the Olympic Winter Games. The United States will be represented in all 15 disciplines across seven sports, and up to 94 of the 98 medal events that will be contested in Sochi,” according to Hipps.
Hipps adds:
The 2014 U.S. Olympic Team features 106 returning Olympians – including one five-time Olympian, two four-time Olympians, 10 three-time Olympians and 23 two-time Olympians. Returning from the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, where the U.S. finished first in the overall medal count with 37 medals, are 99 U.S. Olympians. Overall, among the veterans are 49 Olympic medalists, 13 of whom are Olympic champions.
Nordic combined skier Todd Lodwick becomes the first American to compete at six Olympic Winter Games. The two U.S. Olympians headed to their fifth Olympic Games are Billy Demong (Nordic combined) and Bode Miller (alpine skiing). Only four other athletes in U.S. Olympic history, including Lodwick, have competed in five or more Olympic Winter Games.
Additionally, women’s bobsled push athletes Lolo Jones – a two-time Olympic hurdler – and Lauryn Williams – a three-time Olympic sprinter – become the ninth and 10th Americans to compete at both the winter and summer editions of the Olympic Games.
Highlighting this list of accomplished U.S. men’s athletes are Miller and long track speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno . A five-time Olympic medalist, Miller needs three medals to match U.S. short track speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno as the most decorated U.S. Olympian in history on the winter side.
Davis is making his fourth Olympic appearance after winning consecutive Olympic gold and silver medals in the 1,000- and 1,500-meter events in 2006 and 2010. Both Davis and snowboarder Shaun White will have the opportunity to become the first American man to win three gold medals in the same event at consecutive Olympic Winter Games.
Headlining the list of U.S. women’s athletes are three-time Olympic medalists Julie Chu (ice hockey) and Julia Mancuso (alpine skiing). Mancuso already is the most decorated U.S. Olympic female alpine skier, with one gold medal and two silver medals, while Chu is looking to help Team USA reclaim the top podium spot for the first time since women’s ice hockey debuted at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games.
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