Former UCLA track and field and football student-athlete Carlo Valdes was named to the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team in the sport of bobsled, as announced today by USA Bobsled and Skeleton.
Valdes represents one of 12 male bobsledders named to Team USA at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in South Korea in February. Of the 12 bobsledders, the majority participated in collegiate track and field and/or football, including Valdes who participated in both at UCLA.
The PyeongChang Games mark Valdes' first Olympic appearance and the first for a UCLA track and field athlete in the Winter Games.
Valdes was a member of the UCLA Football team in 2008 and competed for the track and field team from 2010-13. He finished his track career with a lifetime-best throw of 212-11 in the javelin in 2013, a mark that ranked in the Top 10 all-time at UCLA. He was a three-time NCAA Prelims qualifier.
"UCLA helped me grow so much as a person and as an athlete," Valdes said. "Being a student-athlete here is so demanding and it brings out the best in you. The winning mentality was drilled into me on and off the field more than it had been in the past. They want us to be leaders in everything we do and carry that attitude with us for the rest of our lives. The relationships that I molded with friends, athletes, coaches and others while at UCLA are so special to me and have made a huge impact on my life. To be able to continue my success in bobsled just adds to the wonderful legacy that UCLA athletes have made in other sports and professions, and it's a huge honor for me to be a part of that."
Valdes was introduced to the sport of bobsled by former UCLA teammate and thrower Andreas Drbal, who has also been a member of the U.S. National Team. Valdes, the 2015 USA Men's Bobsled Rookie of the Year, competed in his first World Championship in 2015 and also participated in 2016 and 2017, placing fifth with Steven Holcomb's four-man bobsled in 2017.
The PyeongChang Games kick off February 9 and will conclude February 25. Bobsled will be contested February 18-25, and competition will be held at the Olympic Sliding Centre in the PyeongChang Mountain Cluster.
Final selections to the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team are subject to U.S. Olympic Committee approval; the full team will be announced at the end of January.