OLYMPIC DOUBLE: Princeton University alum Nathan Crumpton ’08 flies through a skeleton race. Crumpton will be competing in the men’s skeleton competition this week at the Beijing 2022 Olympics for American Samoa. Having previously competed in the 100-meter dash at the 2020 Summer Olympics that were held six months ago in Tokyo, Crumpton is the 140th athlete to compete in both the Winter and Summer Olympics, but the first from American Samoa and the first from Princeton.(Photo provided courtesy of Princeton’s Office of Athletic Communications)

By Justin Feil

Nathan Crumpton is not considered a major medal contender in men’s skeleton for the Winter Olympics in Beijing this week, but his initial appearance drew plenty of attention.

The 2008 Princeton University graduate emerged from the National Stadium tunnel shirtless in the native American Samoan dress despite the 20-degree temperatures that greeted the Opening Ceremonies on Friday. But Crumpton’s presence in skeleton February 10-11 is more significant.

Crumpton, 36, is the first American Samoa representative at the Winter Olympics in 28 years, and only the second winter sport participant overall for the small South Pacific country. Crumpton is also the 140^th athlete to compete in both the Winter and Summer Olympics, but the first from American Samoa and the first from Princeton.

Crumpton represented American Samoa in the 100-meter dash at the 2020 Summer Olympics that were held six months ago in Tokyo after being a delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Crumpton ran the second-fastest time by an American Samoan at the Olympics, 11.27 seconds, though he was last in his qualifying heat.

“It was a phenomenal time,” said Crumpton of the experience. “I didn’t have any medal aspirations. There was a lot of pressure off me. It’s more about the sport and community and global solidarity of it.”

Crumpton’s cosmopolitan outlook is only part of his complex personality. Born in Kenya, he has lived in Switzerland, Zimbabwe, and Australia. He finished high school in Virginia before matriculating to Princeton. He graduated Princeton ranked third all-time in triple jump, but made a move away from track and field and into skeleton after seeing the sport on TV during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

“I thought it might be a good complement to my track and field skills,” said Crumpton. “I got back into the sprinting and explosive shape that skeleton needs. I scored well in the combine testing and was invited to training camp. The first three years, I got the crap beat out of me. It’s a really steep learning curve, really painful. It was a really rough learning curve. Year five, I made my first U.S. National team. After that, it was a dogfight to see how high you can be ranked.”

Crumpton was the top American skeleton racer at the 2016 World Championships and eighth overall. In 2019-20, he moved out from the U.S. umbrella to honor his mother’s Polynesian heritage for American Samoa. It helped him fulfill his Olympic dream after more than a decade of competing.

“I’ve had to be really creative with a lot of my training and recovery,” said Crumpton. “I do the sport primarily on my own. I travel by myself. I coach myself. I had to have a lot of self-sufficiency. I get greater sponsorship from IOC. It was a really great move to transition from Team USA to Team ASA. It’s not an easy path. I hope it’s rewarding in end.”

Crumpton has supported his athletic efforts with modeling and photography, and this year he published his first book, Alpha Status: A Non-Fiction Novel, which he has been working on for more than three years. He describes it as, “The Economist or Financial Times meets Fifty Shades of Grey.”

It’s part of a new chapter of his life. At 36 years old, Crumpton admittedly has passed his athletic prime and is looking to phase into a new chapter of his life. Not only will he be competing at the Olympics, but Crumpton is also running for International Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission representative.

“Most of the reps are retired athletes,” said Crumpton. “They have to have more time on their hands to do volunteer work. You’re the liaison between athletes and the IOC. You champion the needs of athletes. And then you have all the duties of IOC members with policy making.”

Competing at Beijing is a spectacular way to end his career as an athlete. He traveled mostly to Intercontinental Cup events after transitioning from his Summer Olympics appearance.

“It’s been tough,” said the 6’0, 173-pound Crumpton. “It’s hard on the body. I’ve had to have a lot of physio the last few months. I had to adjust my training regime. I lost some weight with the running and sprinting.”

The season was compressed due to making up for lost time due to the pandemic, and the travel schedule alone was
arduous. Crumpton calculated he was on a flight every 8.7 days during the build-up to Olympic qualifying by mid-January. Each race came with important implications to fulfill his dream, and his experience was critical to earning a berth.

“It’s not so much about the adrenaline rush,” said Crumpton.

“That’s how it started in the beginning. It is a thrill like nothing I’ve experienced with skiing, snowboarding, cliff jumping, It’s more about execution at this point. My nerves aren’t because I’m afraid to get hurt or crash. It’s, ‘can I execute what I want to?’”

The Beijing skeleton track will bring its own unique challenges. It’s the second longest track in the world, and the technical challenges will test racers after they sprint and jump on their low-lying sleds that accelerate to speeds above 80 miles per hour and forces up to 5G.

“The strong start is really necessary,” said Crumpton. “The first 50 meters is so important. These young kids are lightning fast. There’s a really tricky corner at the top of the track. Curve two is really quite technical. The way the ice is shaped, it’s possible to hit the roof. Everyone smacked the roof at one point (during training runs). My bet is there’s going to be someone that smacks it too. If you hit the roof, you lose so much speed.”

Crumpton is looking to cap his athletic career at the pinnacle of the sport. He will compete among the best in the world in his final races. The Summer Olympics was an opportunity he had to take, but the skeleton chance that has been his primary focus since 2011 is finally here.

“I had a heartbreaking injury before the Pyeongchang Olympics so I didn’t qualify,” said Crumpton. “This is my shot at redemption.”