Jonathan Garcia was a 7-year-old kid in Houston when he saw Dan Jansen win the gold medal in speedskating at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. The wide-eyed little boy was inspired to take up speed skating and dreamed of competing in the Olympics someday.
Twenty-three years later, Garcia will represent Team USA at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. He qualified in the 500m and will compete on Monday, Feb. 19.
Garcia, 31, also competed in the Sochi games in 2014 where he finished 28th in the 1000m. The Dutch swept the 500m medals in Sochi.
Garcia, ahe Katy Taylor High School grad, now lives and trains in Salt Lake City but he hasn’t forgotten his roots.
He's is a big fan of the Houston Astros, Texans and Rockets. And barbecue and Tex Mex top his list of favorite foods.
