For years, Carsten Vissering dreamed of being an Olympic swimmer. When that didn’t happen, the Bethesda native turned his sights to bobsledding. That Olympic dream is now a reality.
The 28-year old Vissering will represent the United States in the bobsled next month at the Winter Olympics in Milan – Cortina, Italy. Vissering will compete in both the two-man and four-man bobsled.
Track and field athletes have transitioned to bobsled before but it’s unusual for a swimmer like Vissering to make the successful switch. An elite swimmer growing up in Montgomery County, Vissering attended Georgetown Prep in Rockville. He went on to swim at the University of Southern California where he was a 4-time All-American finishing 2nd in the breaststroke at the NCAA Championships in 2019.
After his swimming career came to a close, Vissering turned to weightlifting to keep his competitive edge. Then he discovered bobsled, reading an article on training for the sport, which greatly appealed to him. Vissering started training in bobsled in 2023 and just a few years later is at the top of the sport and qualifying for the Winter Olympics.
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The two-man bobsled competition starts Feb. 16 at the Cortina Sliding Centre while the four-man begins Feb. 21.
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