FORT CARSON, Colo. — Sgt. Matt Mortensen gives a thumbs up to the home fans at the 2017 World Cup competition in Lake Placid, N.Y., Dec. 16, 2018. (Photo by Spc. Jennily Leon)
By Robert Dozier
U.S. Army Installation Management Command Public Affairs Office
SAN ANTONIO — Seven Soldiers will be among the athletes representing the United States Feb. 9-25 during the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
Returning in bobsled will be 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist Sgt. Justin Olsen from San Antonio; 2014 Olympic Bronze Medalist Capt. Chris Fogt from Alpine, Utah; and 2010 and 2014 Olympic team member Sgt. Nick Cunningham from Monterey, California;, who are all part of the U.S. Army Installation Management Command’s World Class Athlete Program. Olsen and Cunningham are members of the New York National Guard. They will be joined by Fort Carson’s Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Weber of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), who will make his Olympic debut.
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Sgt. Emily Sweeney receives congratulations after competing in a sprint run race Dec. 16, 2018, at the Lake Placid Olympic Center in New York. Sweeney qualified for her first Olympics after not making the 2010 and 2014 teams. (Photo by Jennily Leon)
Sgt. Emily Sweeney from Suffield, Connecticut, and Sgt. Taylor Morris from South Jordan, Utah, will compete in singles luge, along with Sgt. Matthew Mortensen from Huntington Station, New York, who is competing in the doubles luge event. They are also Soldier-athletes in WCAP who have made the U.S. Olympic Team.
The Soldiers’ participation in the Olympics is a testament to their enduring resilience and the Army’s commitment to teamwork, determination and perseverance, and the nation encourages the world to follow and share their progress in social media using #SoldierOlympians.
Opening ceremonies for these Winter Olympics are scheduled for Feb. 9, and luge events run Feb. 10-15. Bobsled competitions are scheduled to run Feb. 18-24, all to be broadcast by the National Broadcasting Company through NBC News and NBC Sports.
WCAP is composed of national and international caliber Soldiers who have been recognized in their sport, and who maximize and embody high performance agility, mental preparedness and physical strength. These Soldier-Olympians connect Americans with the Army and show that they are more than just war fighters.
Other Soldiers are in contention to coach these Olympians on Team USA. Information on these coaches and athletes can be found at http://www.ArmyMWR.com/Olympic and in social media at http://www.Facebook.com/FamilyMWR and http://www.Twitter.com/FamilyMWR.