Former Bruin competes for US men’s bobsled team at Pyeongchang Olympics
UCLA almunus Carlo Valdes is the first ever former Bruin track and field athlete to compete in a Winter Olympics. His four-man bobsled team competes on the last day of competition at the Olympic Sliding Centre in the PyeongChang Mountain Cluster. (Courtesy of Emily Jensen/USOC)
By Nicholas Yekikian
Feb. 24, 2018 11:14 p.m.
Former Bruin track and field athlete Carlo Valdes competed for the United States Olympic team in the bobsled Friday at the Olympic Sliding Centre in the Pyeongchang Mountain Cluster.
The four-man bobsled squad led by Justin Olsen finished 20th overall. They placed third out of the three bobsled teams that represented the USA in Pyeongchang.
The team’s time of 3:18.55 was 2.70 seconds behind the first place German team that was lead by Francesco Friedrich.
Valdes was a Bruin from 2008 to 2013, and in his time at UCLA, he threw javelin and played football.
The 2018 games marked his first trip to an Olympics, and it was the first time a former member of UCLA track and field competed at the Winter Games.
The 2018 Winter Olympics will come to a close on Feb. 25.
