Chris Niccum:Mormon Olympian
Christian Niccum is an American luger and three-time Olympian who has competed since 1998.
Niccum was born January 27, 1978, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the youngest of five children. He studied business administration at DeVry University. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and his wife, Bobbie Jo, and their three children live in the state of Washington.
At the age of 12, he started sliding when he competed in a “slider search” event in Seattle. Beginning at age 16, he won four straight World Junior Championships. He then transitioned to the World Cup circuit and won six international medals.
He primarily competes in doubles but has raced singles at various times in his career.
Niccum competed in his third Olympic Games at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. He was the oldest member of the U.S. luge team. He shared a sled with Jayson Terdiman, and they finished 11th overall. He finished sixth in the men’s doubles event in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and 23rd in the men’s singles in the 2006 Turin Games.
In Sochi, he participated in the first Olympic luge team relay, which includes three competitions: women’s singles, men’s singles, and men’s doubles, with their times combined. They placed sixth.
