Meet the Latter-day Saint competing within the 2026 Milan Cortina Games – Church Information

The Friday, Feb. 6, opening ceremonies formally begin the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy as athletes slide, skate, ski and race as they compete on the world stage.

One of these athletes is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Caleb Furnell, 24, is a push athlete on one in all Team USA’s four-man bobsled teams.

Furnell is from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, and performed soccer and set a state record in high jump in highschool. He was a sprinter at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, from 2019 to 2024. Furnell, who’s 6 ft, 2 inches tall, has a trio of high instances within the college’s information for the indoor and out of doors 200-meter race and the 4-by-100 relay, the school noted. In 2024, he was a part of the Western Athletic Conference champion 4-by-100 relay staff that certified for the NCAA Regionals, and was additionally a primary staff All-WAC honoree within the 100-meter and 200-meter races.

A good friend urged Furnell check out at a bobsled mix, and Furnell stated he didn’t put together for it. He was named to the United States nationwide staff. Within a 12 months, he was on a staff competing in World Cup races.

“To transition quickly to another sport and already be at the senior level, … it’s been pretty wild; it’s been fun,” he stated in an interview with Kansas City, Missouri, television station KSHB 41 in December 2025.

Furnell and his spouse, Brynlee Furnell, dwell in Vineyard, Utah.

When to observe: The bobsled, or bobsleigh, competition consists of 4 races, timed to the hundredth of a second. The staff with the quickest whole time is the winner.

The first two heats of the four-man bobsled races are Saturday, Feb. 21, at 10 a.m. Italy time (2 a.m. Mountain) on the Cortina Sliding Center in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. The closing two heats are on Sunday, Feb. 22, starting at 10 a.m. Italy time (2 a.m. Mountain). The fourth and closing race begins at 12:15 p.m. (4:15 a.m. Mountain).

Furnell is on a sled with pilot Kris Horn and push athletes Carsten Vissering and Hunter Powell.

Bobsled coach: Also on the Olympics with Latter-day Saint ties is Chris Fogt, who’s the pinnacle coach of USA Bobsled. Fogt gained silver within the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

If you already know of another Latter-day Saints competing within the Milan Cortina Olympic Games or within the Paralympic Games, please e mail their identify, nation and sport to churchnews@deseretnews.com.