Former Gator Mesler Begins Olympic Competition on Feb. 26
Friday, February 19, 2010 | Track and Field
Three-time Olympian and former University of Florida track and field athlete Steve Mesler (Buffalo, N.Y.) will begin competition in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games as a member of the United States four-man bobsled team on Friday, Feb. 26.
The four-man bobsled competition begins next Friday at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. Vancouver time). Check your local listings for television coverage and times in your area. The United States will be looking for its first gold medal in the four-man bobsled event since 1948.
Mesler, 31, is a former Florida multi-event athlete who currently ranks 11th in school history in the decathlon with a career-best score of 6,817 points. Mesler, who earned his bachelor's degree in exercise and sport sciences from UF in 2000, battled through injuries throughout his career and admits he never lived up to his full potential as a collegiate athlete.
After graduating from UF and bouncing around in several different jobs, Mesler, 6-foot-2, decided to participate in a bobsled camp in San Diego in 2001. He joined the U.S. team by serving as an alternate at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, at which the United States ended a 46-year medal drought by claiming the silver.
The United States is considered one of the favorites to win the gold after capturing the World Championship and the World Cup this past year. During the 2009 World Championships in Lake Placid, N.Y., Mesler helped push his team to the first world title for the U.S. men in half-a-century. They also claimed the four-man bobsled World Cup for the first time in 17 years for the U.S.
Mesler, who is considered the team's fastest member, fills the third slot in the bobsled, which requires both balance and speed. He is joined by pilot Steve Holcomb and teammates Justin Olsen and Curt Tomasevicz.
The event features a sled of 450-500 pounds, plus the weight of the athletes, that travels at speeds of 80 miles per hour or faster. A crew is made up of a pilot, a brakeman and two pushers.
Mesler was a two-time member of the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll (1999, 2000).
Complete coverage of Mesler's participation in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games will be available at www.GatorZone.com/trackfield.
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