An amphibious transformation.
That’s how Olympic bobsledder Carsten Vissering describes his unlikely journey to the ice after his career as an NCAA swimming champion.
In the world of swimming, you may be familiar with the Vissering name. He helped clinch Southern California's first-ever 200 medley relay title at the 2018 NCAA swimming championships, recording the fastest-ever breaststroke leg at the time with a 22.50.
His split proved decisive, as the Trojans held off the Cal Bears by 0.06 seconds at the end to claim the victory.
USC NCAA TITLE IN 200 MEDLEY RELAY! Robert Glinta-Carsten Vissering-Dylan Carter-Santo Condorelli win in school record 1:21.82!! The Trojans first in the event!
— USC Swim & Dive (@USCswim)
The five-time All-American and Pac-12 100-yard breastroke champion traded in his cap and goggles and warm Los Angeles weather for a full-body speed suit, a helmet and freezing temperatures. All in the pursuit of greatness.
📜 HISTORY: Every men's DI NCAA swimming champion since 1937
An Olympic berth was something Vissering always dreamed about, growing up in one of the nation's swimming hubs in Bethesda, Md. and training with Katie Ledecky at the Nation's Capital Swim Club.
He was drawn to USC because of the offer to train under the legendary coach Dave Salo, who served as an assistant coach for the 2000, 2004, and 2012 Olympic teams while mentoring seven different Trojans to become Olympic medalists. But there was something even more intriguing.
"What was unique to coach Salo was this idea to take an athlete who's a swimmer and make them a better athlete outside the pool to be a better athlete in the pool," Vissering said.
Of course, he was at Southern Cal to be a swimmer — and was a very good one at that. However, his passion was found in the process.
"He was such a fan of the weight room. We used to go in there just to watch him jump box jumps and standing broad jumps," Salo said.
Pre-NCAA warmup with Carsten Vissering, he and the Trojans now entering 💪🏼
— USC Swim & Dive (@USCswim)
Like most sprinters, Vissering was obsessed with lifting. The USC coaching staff used to joke that he could have played football and been a great tight end because of his 6-foot-5 frame and athleticism.
After finishing up his swimming career as a Trojan, Vissering fell back into what he was passionate about most — the weight room, most concerned with keeping his back squat numbers up. Something clicked in his brain when his weight room numbers would place him second in that year's NFL combine.
He began researching more about weightlifting and power exercise ideas, which led him to stumble upon an article labeled Olympic brakeman's day in the week, his first introduction to the world of bobsled.
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He noticed the similarities in his training style to that of a bobsledder.
He never grew up watching bobsled, nor did he know anything about the sport until this moment, but it drew him in.
"I thought, well, these athletes train like how I like to train. I'll just do that," he said.
After more research, Vissering scheduled a (paid) consultation with a former national team bobsled member who wrote his PhD dissertation on what makes a good bobsledder.
He reflected on the call, and mentioned being told that a swimmer wouldn't have the qualities needed to be world-class in bobsled or make an Olympic team. That it would never happen, as most bobsledders are former track athletes or champion decathletes recruited because of their crucial speed and agility.
But he dismissed the comments, not thinking his goals were to make an Olympic team anyway and charged on. His mission was to get his foot in the door and just train.
In 2022, Vissering competed in the Bobsled Recruitment Combine, a place where many athletes come to showcase their talents in hopes of getting picked up. It's a wide array of people at these events, from former NFL players to your normal everyday joes.
He said his luck at the combine was due to it being right after an Olympic year, with room to shine, as most bobsledders were taking time off. He made his first World Cup that year, just four years after clinching that NCAA crown.
From that moment, he was encouraged to continue his pursuit of this newfound passion before being named to the USA Olympic Bobsled team in January 2026.
But the swimmer in him has never left. He still dreams of swimming at meets. Except now, it's with his bobsled teammates on the blocks with him.
He credits the individual aspect of swimming prepared him for his new sport, pointing out the similarities in the mental components. Except this time, he's getting bruised and banged around in a small cylinder.
From water to ice, Vissering's amphibious transformation continues to prove that greatness isn't bound to one element.
Vissering competes for Team USA in Milan from Wednesday, Feb. 18, through Sunday, Feb. 22, in the Four-Man event.
