Colorado has a history of star olympians

Mile-high athletes span across the globe

Colorado is world-renowned for its outdoor activity, no matter the season. However, winter sports reign supreme in the Rocky Mountains. With the 2018 Winter Olympics in full swing in PyeongChang, Colorado has sent 36 athletes to compete in 17 different events; that’s more than any other state. It isn’t just this year that Coloradans are competing, either. There is a rich history of this state participating in the Olympics, and this article will touch on a few of the biggest stars from the state.

It was 1897 in Denver when Eddie Egan was born. He is the only Olympian to win gold at both Winter and Summer games. As a bobsledder on a four-man team, he won gold in the 1932 Winter Olympics. Twelve years earlier in 1920, he won gold at the Summer games for light-heavyweight boxing.

Andy Mill lived most of his life in Aspen and was an alpine ski racer and regular in both downhill and combined on the World Cup Circuit. But he really made his mark in the 1976 Winter Games in Austria, placing sixth in downhill while injured with a bad lower-leg bruise from training.

Jeremy Bloom was a member of the US Skiing Hall of Fame and was also a two-time Olympian. If those two distinctions weren’t enough, he’s also a three-time World Cup Champion and a former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, and he is only 35 years old. As a former NFL player, he is the only athlete in history to ever ski in the Olympics and play professional football.

While it is not surprising Colorado is sending so many athletes to this year’s winter games, what makes the state unique is the level of winners it turns out. Not to say that Colorado is the best, but there are medals to prove the state is a tough competitor to beat.