2018 Winter Olympics: Bobsled pilot Justin Olsen takes on bigger role than expected

PARK CITY, Utah – U.S. bobsled coach Brian Shimer opines that he feels a quad behind with Justin Olsen.To be fair, the pilot briefly tried out the front of the sled after the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. But it was short-lived, and he only started driving again a year after Sochi.

But as Olsen heads into Pyeongchang, that assessment is less a reflection on his abilities and more a reality of the long learning curve it takes in that position and the unexpected need the U.S. team had to fill it.

Olsen was not supposed to be the guy these Olympics, he was supposed to have the luxury of getting to learn with little pressure.

But with Steven Holcomb’s unexpected death in May, Olsen finds himself in a…