Olympian John Daly '08 Competes in Third Olympics as Member of U.S. Olympic Skeleton Team

Former SUNY Plattsburgh track and field student-athlete John Daly has been named to the 2018 U.S. Olympic skeleton team.

Daly, who graduated in 2008 with a degree in business and professional communication, is one of four skeleton athletes — two women, two men — to be named to Team USA at the 2018 Olympic Games in South Korea in February. The PyeongChang games mark Daly’s third Olympic appearance. He’s looking for his first Olympic medal after finishing 17th at the 2010 games in Vancouver, Canada, and 15th at the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia. 

The Smithtown, N.Y., native retired after the 2014 winter games but made his comeback during the 2016-2017 season.

“I went for one more Olympics because I never wanted to look back and say, ‘What if?’,” Daly said. “I thought it was impossible to qualify with a year of training and a full-time job. But I’m a dreamer, and I am proof that you’re never too old to dream a new dream. I am officially a three-time Olympian.”

Daly was a standout in track and field, holding program records in the pentathlon, decathlon and long jump. He was named All-American in 2008 in the decathlon after scoring 6,786 points in the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

“Running track and field through college helped my skeleton career because we sprint at the beginning of a skeleton race,” Daly said. “We do a 30-meter sprint in grooves that keep us controlled. We jump on the sled when the grooves end and drive wherever we want. The 30-meter sprint really depends on how fast you are, so that helped me in sprinting through college.”

The PyeongChang Games kick off Friday, Feb. 9 and will conclude Sunday, Feb. 25. Skeleton will be contested Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 15-17.