Sean
Olsson

Sean Olsson coaches British Bobsleigh teams competing on the Europa Cup circuit and participating in the Accelerated Driver Programme.

Having enjoyed an outstanding career as a bobsleigh athlete and been involved as a coach after retirement, Sean began working closely with British teams again during the 2019/20 season and he will once again play an important role throughout the 2022/23 campaign.

Sean won Olympic bronze in Nagano in 1998 when he piloted Dean Ward, Courtney Rumbolt and Paul Attwood to the country’s first Olympic bobsleigh medal since Tony Nash and Robin Dixon in 1964. That result carried even greater significance in that it was Team GB’s only medal from the Japanese Games.

He competed in three Olympic Winter Games in all, having also represented the country in Albertville in 1992 and Lillehammer in 1994. His first Olympic experience came after just three seasons’ worth of experience in the sport, while his second saw him finish eighth in the 2-man event and 10^th in the 4-man race.

Sean’s long list of bobsleigh achievements also features a fourth-place finish at the 1997 World Championships in St Moritz, as well as several medals on the World Cup circuit.

Further highlights of Sean’s bobsleigh career include becoming Junior European Champion; finishing on the podium at the Junior World Championships; winning the British Championships several times in both the 2-man and 4-man disciplines; and winning the Army and Inter Service Championships on 10 consecutive occasions.

Sean retired from military life in 2010 after serving 26 years in the Parachute Regiment. Whilst in service, he completed operational tours in Northern Ireland and Iraq and, on retiring, used the skills and experience gained during his service to build a flourishing second career as a fraud investigator. 

After calling time on his international sliding career in 2000, Sean was appointed head coach for the Great Britain Europa Cup team - a role he held for several seasons. He also held the position of Head Coach for the Great Britain Women’s Team during the Vancouver Olympic Games in 2010 before relinquishing this role to fully concentrate on his transition from military to civilian life.

Sean remained active within the sport and currently holds the position of Head Coach for the British Army Team. He promotes and raises the profile of the sport consistently and was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to drive the world’s first and only 7-man bobsleigh for a TV advert.

Sean continues to drive both 2 and 4-man sleds on most European tracks, something he feels is essential to enable him to transfer knowledge and experience to all levels of ability, from novices to senior GB athletes.