Abs-solutely Gutsy! Olsen To Bobsled 12 Days After Appendectomy

SAN ANTONIO, TX — If there really is such a thing as Texas tough, then Justin Olsen has it written all over him. Just days before the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, the San Antonio native was admitted to a hospital with acute appendicitis. He had a laparoscopic appendectomy in the town of Gangneung, and he's already back on the track and aiming for a medal.

Olsen is a three-time Olympian who was one of three pilots chosen for the U.S. team for PyeongChang. He won gold in the 2010 Vancouver Games as a push athlete for Steven Holcomb’s four-man sled, and he pushed again on Nick Cunningham’s sled at the 2014 Sochi Games.

Just one day after his surgery last week, he was already walking around. The next day he was cleared to begin jogging. Earlier this week, he was running on the treadmill and was back on the track for training that began today (Feb. 15), according to Amanda Bird, the the marketing and communications director for USA Bobsled and Skeleton.

Olsen released a statement last week immediately after his surgery on his decision to move forward and compete.

"I feel very lucky and fortunate we were able to diagnose and treat this early on. I know having a surgery 12 days before a competition isn’t ideal to most athletes but due to some great conversations with my girlfriend and mother I’m reminded nobody’s path is the same and I don’t feel sorry for myself in the slightest. I have no doubt I’ll be ready to compete. I’ll need to be smart over these next nine days but I’ll be ready. Just need to knock the dust off and we should be able to take care of business at the track."

This tweet shows Olsen in PyeongChang training at the track early Thursday.

He’s back. Texas bobsledder @justinbolsen just finished his first training run at the #WinterOlympics after an emergency appendectomy. @NBCDFW pic.twitter.com/6htyrN8rz5
— Brian Curtis (@BrianCurtisNBC5) February" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/BrianCurti... 15, 2018

Olsen's two-man sled partner is first-time Olympian Evan Weinstock, who expects the pair to sill have a solid run.

"He’s a very strong guy and he’s very motivated," Weinstock told USA Today. "Talking to him the last couple days he’s 100 percent confident in himself, and we have a great medical staff that will be able to monitor him and if there are issues they’ll inform him he may take it a little easier today.

"I know my training has been going well and I’ll be able to perform to my top level and hopefully that will be enough to keep us where we expect to be and if Justin is fully healthy we’ll be exactly where we expect to be."

Image: United States Olympic Winter Games bobsledder Justin Olsen poses for a portrait at the 2017 Team USA Media Summit Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)