John Napier (bobsleigh)
John Napier (born December 12, 1986) is an American bobsled driver and a soldier in the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program. He won the two-man event at the 2009 U.S. National Bobsled Championships with Cory Butner.[1] At the 2009 FIBT World Championships, he placed 17th in the two-man event with T.J. Burns[2] and 11th in the four-man event with Jesse Beckom, Jamie Moriarty, and Nick Cunningham.[3]
Napier in 2010 | |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Birth name | John Napier |
Nationality | American |
Born | December 12, 1986 |
Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
Sport | |
Sport | Bobsleigh |
Event(s) | Two-man, Four-man |
Coached by | William Tavares |
At the 2009–10 Bobsleigh World Cup event in Lake Placid, New York, he won the two-man event with Charles Berkeley[4] and the silver medal in the four-man event with Jamie Moriarty, Steven Langton, and Christopher Fogt
Napier began competing in 1994 and became a member of the U.S. national team in 2002. His parents were both bobsledders; his father, William Napier, was a former president of the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation.[5] Napier enlisted in the Vermont Army National Guard in June 2007 and joined the World Class Athlete Program in May, 2008.
It was announced on January 17, 2010 that he made the US team in the two-man and four-man events for the 2010 Winter Olympics. He finished tenth in the two-man event while crashing out in the four-man event.
Shortly after competing in the Olympics John Napier spent 6 months in the Paktika Province of Afghanistan fighting with the US Army 3-172 Infantry battalion in 2010.
References
- Hipps, Tim (January 7, 2009). "Napier survives wild ride to win U.S. Bobsled Championship". FMWRC Public Affairs. Archived from the original on June 24, 2009. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
- "FIBT World Championships 2009 bobsleigh two-man results". Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
- "FIBT World Championships 2009 bobsleigh four-man results". Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing. Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
- FIBT World Cup Lake Placid: bobsleigh two-man results Archived March 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. November 21, 2009. Accessed November 21, 2009.
- McGUIRE, MARK (October 23, 2009). "Slider plans to serve his country twice". Times Union. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
External links
- US Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation announcement of the US Olympic men's bobsleigh team. January 17, 2010. Accessed January 18, 2010.
- World Class Athlete Program profile at U.S. Army MWR at the Wayback Machine (archived 2012-02-29)
- John Napier at the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation
- John Napier at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
- John Napier at the International Olympic Committee
- John Napier at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)