Kaysha Love joins a Zoom call from a truck parked at a European train station. She’s searching for decent wifi between training sessions, which perfectly captures her sport’s reality. Olympic bobsledding isn’t glamorous—it’s grueling, demanding, and requires relentless determination at every turn.
The 28-year-old Utah native currently reigns as world champion in monobob, the single-person bobsled event. Her journey to the top defied every timeline and expectation in the sport. Moreover, she’s building a legacy for Black women in winter sports while chasing Olympic gold.
From Gymnastics to Track Star Before Bobsled Career
Love spent 12 years competing as a Level 10 gymnast before injuries changed her path. She transitioned to track and field at UNLV, where her speed immediately stood out. The sprinter set Utah state records and earned All-American honors during her collegiate career.
Athletics ran deep in Love’s family, where Olympic viewing was a beloved tradition. Everyone played college basketball or volleyball, making sports feel like destiny. The Olympic dream burned inside her long before she discovered bobsled existed beyond ‘Cool Runnings.’
Bobsled Coach Spots Olympic Potential at Track Nationals
During her senior year at track nationals, a bobsled coach approached Love unexpectedly. He told her she was competing in the wrong sport entirely. “I remember just thinking that he was crazy,” Love recalls about that pivotal conversation.
The coach persisted, explaining how her track skills would transfer perfectly to bobsled. Love admitted her only knowledge came from watching ‘Cool Runnings’ as a kid. His response changed everything: that movie taught her she belonged in bobsled, proving track athletes excel in the sport.
Breaking Records with Fastest Olympic Qualification Ever
Love attended a rookie camp at Lake Placid to explore this new opportunity. “I went up there and absolutely just fell in love with the idea that I could become an Olympian,” she shared. Remarkably, she competed at the 2022 Beijing Olympics just one year later as a push athlete.
The timeline remains extraordinary even by elite athletic standards today. Love competed with only seven bobsled races under her belt before reaching the Olympics. Coaches had told her rookie Olympic qualification within two years was impossible—it had never happened before.
Transitioning from Brakeman to World Champion Pilot
After Beijing, Love made another bold move by transitioning from brakeman to pilot. The pilot steers the sled and makes split-second decisions affecting victory or crashes. Coaches warned this transition typically requires four to eight years before achieving consistent results.
Love defied expectations once again with breathtaking speed and skill. “I won my first World Cup race my first year as a pilot,” she explained. Two years later, she became world champion, shattering another supposed timeline. Her rapid success continues rewriting what’s considered possible in bobsled.
Mental Game and Leadership Demands of Piloting Bobsled
Piloting requires intense mental focus that Love describes as uniquely challenging. “When you’re a pilot, you are the leader on the team,” she explains. One fraction of a decision separates winning from disaster on every run.
Love relies on faith and her teammates to navigate this pressure successfully. “I’m a God-fearing woman. And at the end of the day, I know that God has a plan for me,” she shared. She views every outcome as a lesson rather than failure. This mindset helps her maintain composure when stakes reach their highest.
Team Sport Dynamics Different from Individual Athletic Background
Bobsled surprised Love with its collaborative nature compared to her previous sports. “In gymnastics and track, it’s very much an independent team sport,” she noted. However, bobsled operates completely differently, requiring constant communication and trust between teammates.
The proximity adds another layer to team dynamics that Love finds meaningful. “When you’re sitting not even an inch away from your teammate, just the importance of smelling good is so real,” she jokes. This closeness makes her Native deodorant partnership both practical and important. The entire bobsled community celebrated when her commercial launched during competition in Latvia.
Reality of Bobsled Life Includes Equipment Management and Travel
Love shatters any romantic notions about Olympic bobsled life immediately. “This sport is not really sexy and fun and all of those things,” she states candidly. Athletes spend five months yearly on the road managing every logistical detail themselves.
Bobsledders must move, sand, and transport their own equipment in sprinter trucks constantly. They serve as both elite athletes and their own support crew simultaneously. Love’s wifi hunt from a European parking lot exemplifies the unglamorous reality behind Olympic glory.
Following Black Women Trailblazers in USA Bobsled History
Love honors the Black women who created space for her in winter sports. Elana Meyers Taylor, Lauren Gibbs, and Aja Evans paved the way through their achievements. “These were women that I was still competing with up until four or five years ago,” Love notes.
Their impact on USA bobsled and Winter Olympics overall gives her goosebumps regularly. “When people talk about Kaysha Love, I want them to look at me in that same light,” she declares. Even if she doesn’t win gold, she wants to uplift whoever does succeed.
Message for Black Women Chasing Unconventional Dreams
Love offers powerful advice for Black women pursuing intimidating or unconventional goals. “The more intimidating, the better. Honestly, you deserve this space,” she encourages with conviction. Fear of being first shouldn’t stop anyone from claiming their rightful place.
She emphasizes belonging regardless of historical representation in a field. “Don’t be fearful because it hasn’t been done before, because there hasn’t been a lot of us in this space,” Love insists. Her own journey proves that supposed limitations often exist only in people’s minds, not reality.
Building Legacy Beyond Personal Medals and Achievements
Love thinks constantly about the athletes who will follow her footsteps. She wants to eliminate the hesitation that almost stopped her own dreams. “I hope that when I retire, that there’s an athlete that maybe is hesitant about becoming a pilot,” she reflects thoughtfully.
Future athletes should ignore restrictive timelines and trust their capabilities instead. Love wants them to say, “Hey, Kaysha loved it…she showed the way, that it is possible.” Legacy matters more than individual glory when building pathways for future generations. For now though, she’s focused on chasing gold at the Milan-Cortina Olympics this February.
