Bob Olesen

Bob Olesen competed in both bobsled events at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. At the 1997 World Championships, Olesen had won bronze medals in both two-man and four-man events. He was on the US bobsled team from 1994-98, and was named the USOC bobsled athlete of the year for 1995/96.

Olesen was a track & field athlete at the University of Illinois, competing in the triple and long jumps. He was 1989 Big Ten triple jump champion and earned All-American honors that year. Graduating in 1990, he started coaching track & field, first as a graduate assistant at Southwest Texas State, then as an assistant coach there from 1992-95, during which time he earned a masters’ degree in physical education. He also competed at the 1992 US Olympic Trials in the triple jump although he did not make the final round.

After the Nagano Winter Games, Olesen joined the University of North Carolina at Charlotte as an assistant track & field coach. Three years later he was made the head coach of both the men’s and women’s programs. He has served in that position for over 15 years, leading multiple athletes to All-American honors and has been A-10 Conference coach of the year 16 times.