With just two months until the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Lou Moreira is trying to land a spot on the U.S. bobsled team.
"I'm potentially looking at competing in the Olympic Games. It feels good to be an American," Moreira said.
Moreira knows how it feels to win. He is a champion bodybuilder, who earned the title "Mr. Texas 2014." Moreira developed a passion for the sport while he was a student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
"Bodybuilding was great. It kept me busy. It gave me a new goal. It gave me a good reason to get up and pursue the day," he said.
It was a longtime friend, Olympic medalist Steven Langton, who convinced Moreira to give bobsled a try.
"It's such a great opportunity to continue to be an athlete, especially in my early 30s," Moreira said.
Moreira is a push athlete, who accelerates the heavy sled off the starting line.
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Moreira made North Texas his home after serving in the Army. Bobsled gives him the same rush he experienced in combat.
"I was in the 82nd Airborne Infantry for six years, so jumping out of planes just became normal. That adrenaline feeling became normal," he said.
Bobsled also gives Moreira the opportunity to wear his nation's colors again.
"This is another way to represent my country, just at the elite level of athletics. How cool is that?" he said.
The U.S. Olympic bobsled team will be named in January.
