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| Full name | Randal Jones | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | June 24, 1969 (age 54) Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Randal Jones (born June 24, 1969 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) is an American bobsledder. Jones competed in both the 2-man and 4-man events in four Winter Olympics. [1]
Jones attended Robert B. Glenn High School in Kernersville, North Carolina and was a standout track and football star. Jones was a big part in helping lead the school to a boys track state championship in 1986. Jones graduated from Glenn High School in 1987.
Jones attended Duke University, where he played football and ran track while earning a Mechanical Engineering degree. Graduating from Duke in 1991, he still holds five team football records for Duke in kick returns and was also a record-setting track athlete.
Jones' track coach at Duke convinced him after graduating to try out for the U.S. Bobsled team. Combined with a desire to see the world, Jones accepted the invitation to join the team. He won the National Brakeman and Side Push Championship twice in both 1992 and 1995, along with the World Cup and Overall Championship in 1992–93.
Jones made his Olympic debut in 1994 in Lillehammer, finishing 13th in the 2-man event. He came up short in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano as the 4-man team with driver Brian Shimer and pushers Chip Minton and Garrett Hines missed by .02 seconds of winning a bronze medal, finishing fifth.
After winning four World Cup medals, 2002 saw Jones have the best year of his career in bobsledding. At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Jones along with driver Todd Hays, won a silver medal in the 4-man event. This marked the first time since 1956 that the United States won a medal in men's bobsledding. Jones also won three medals in the four-man event at the FIBT World Championships with a silver (2003) and two bronzes (1993, 1997).
In 2005-06, Jones' best finish in the World Cup was second at the 4-man event held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He was at the 2006 Winter Olympics, but did not run in either competition. Jones is now part of the United States Olympic Committee and is widely considered as the most decorated bobsledder in U.S. history.
Jones is married to his wife, Cheri Alou, and currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Jones and his wife Cheri also have twins, Roman and Marissa, who reside with them in Atlanta, Georgia. Jones currently works as a Technology Director for Omnicom Media Group.
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The four-man bobsleigh competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, was held at the Whistler Sliding Centre in Whistler, British Columbia, on 26–27 February. The German team of André Lange, René Hoppe, Kevin Kuske, and Martin Putze were the defending Olympic champion in this event. America's team of Steve Holcomb, Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler, and Curtis Tomasevicz were the defending world champions in this event. The test event was won by the Latvian team of Jānis Miņins, Daumants Dreiškens, Oskars Melbardis, and Intars Dambis. The last World Cup event prior to the 2010 Games place took place in Igls, Austria on 24 January 2010 and was won by the German team of Lange, Hoppe, Kuske, and Putze. Holcomb of the United States won both the four-man and the combined World Cups.
The Romanian national bobsleigh team represents Romania in international bobsledding competitions.
