Two more Pacific Northwest athletes are heading to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The national bobsled federation on Monday named Sam Michener of Gresham, Oregon, to the U.S. Olympic Team. Michener, a high school football player and standout sprinter at the University of Idaho, followed a well-trodden path from track to ice.
This is a dream come true,” Michener said of his Olympic debut in four-man bobsled.
Snowboard halfpipe competitor Ben Ferguson of Bend, Oregon, clinched a spot on Team USA as well with a top 5 finish on Saturday at an Olympic qualifying event in Colorado.
The full roster for the U.S. Olympic ski and snowboard team will be announced next week. Several more athletes with Pacific Northwest roots are in the hunt for remaining team slots.
Previously, two short-track speedskaters from Federal Way, Washington, punched their tickets to the 2018 Winter Games by racing well at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Utah. PyeongChang will be the third Olympics for J.R. Celski, while Aaron Tran will skate as a rookie.
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