USA Bobsled and Skeleton announced Idaho track and field alum Sam Michener to the 2018 Winter Olympic team set to compete in PyeongChang, South Korea next month.
Michener will be the pusher to the four-man team, driven by Nick Cunningham. The team also includes Hakeem Abdul-Saboor and Christopher Kinney.
Michener, a Gresham, Oregon native, started his career on the track with the Idaho track and field squad in 2006 and ended his career with the Vandals in 2010. In his final season, he finished third in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.61 seconds and with All-WAC honors at the WAC Outdoor Championships.
Idaho has seen a number of Vandals find success in Bobsled competition in the Olympics. Vandal alum Chris Stokes competed for Jamaica in Calgary during the 1988 Winter Games. This same squad was later the focus of the film “Cool Runnings”.
Gregory Sun is another Idaho name known in association with Bobsledding in the Winter Olympics. Sun competed for Trinidad and Tobago in 1994, 1998 and 2002. He was also chosen to carry his country’s flag in the Olympic opening ceremony.
The three-time Olympian played a key role in Michener’s involvement in the sport, encouraging him to carry on his athletic career with bobsledding.
The Argonaut will continue to follow Michener throughout the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Meredith Spelbring can be reached at [email protected]