USA Bobsled coach Mike Kohn has stepped down after four seasons, though he may remain with the national team in a different capacity.
Kohn, an Olympic medalist in bobsled at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, said Friday that he made the decision to leave the coaching role because of a desire to spend more time with his family. The World Cup season typically takes coaches and sliders away from home for months at a time.
“Looking ahead to the next quad before the 2026 Olympics, it’s going to be a pretty uphill battle and this federation and these athletes deserve someone who’s going to be able to give them more than eight hours a day,” Kohn said. “I know the athletes, I know the demands, I know the stress level and for me, my family has to be the most important thing.”
The U.S. won three medals at the Beijing Olympics in bobsled; only Germany, with seven, won more. The Americans also have won three gold medals at world championships since Kohn was promoted to the head coach role in 2018.
But with a new four-year Olympic cycle starting, and the possibility for some major changes in terms of the roster — five-time Olympic medalist Elana Meyers Taylor said at the Beijing Games that she’ll consider retirement, and three-time Olympic gold medalist Kaillie Humphries plans to take some time off to start a family — Kohn decided it would be best if another coach was leading the program. He has had some preliminary conversations with USA Bobsled about having a different role, possibly in development.
“Part of me is torn, professionally,” Kohn said. “I really want to help the team. And I want my family time back. The organization needs someone who doesn’t have young kids, not someone with kids who are 10 and 8 and in fourth grade and second grade. It’s been part of my life for 32 years. I can’t ever see myself walking away and being done. This is just about giving my family and my kids all my energy.”
Kohn is the second sliding coach to leave a U.S. program since the Beijing Olympics. Robert Fegg resigned as USA Luge’s coach last month and subsequently was hired to coach the Canadian luge team.
___
More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
