.png)
5 hours ago
4
At Paris 2024, the US had Pommel Horse Guy. At these Winter Olympics, the Americans have a new cult hero: Curling Rambo.
Aidan Oldenburg, a member of the US men’s curling team, has attracted attention for his glasses, thick thatch of hair and red bandana. His appeal as an unlikely hero has drawn comparisons with Stephen Nedoroscik, USA’s bespectacled, Rubik’s Cube-solving gymnastics hero who won two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics.
Like Nedoroscik, the 24-year-old Oldenburg has hobbies away from his sport. He is an avid juggler, and has introduced machetes and flaming torches into his routine. His dream growing up was to become an environmental scientist rather than an Olympian, and he has achieved both. His day job involves working with solar and wind projects after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in ecology.
He says he started wearing a bandana, similar to the one worn by Sylvester Stallone in the Rambo movies, as “a bit of a joke” at a tournament last year.
“We had two games left that we had to play,” he said. “I was like, let’s have some fun. So an hour and a half before our game, I was like, I’m going to go buy some headbands, I’ll have everyone wear them.”
When Oldenburg’s team, skipped by Danny Casper, later qualified for the Olympics he decided the bandana was here to stay.
“No one else has the hair for it on our team,” Oldenburg said. “My hair used to be longer than this. It’s all like a kind of utility and, honestly, it’s so hot out there in the arena, it helps to keep the sweat out of my eyes.”
Fans have also started wearing bandanas in tribute to their new hero.
“They don’t have easy access to team uniforms and stuff like that,” Oldenburg said. “In other sports like football or baseball, you go buy your favorite player’s uniform and wear it in the stands. The headband, it’s nice and it’s cheap. It’s pretty fun, too.”
Nedoroscik has also given his seal of approval.
“I just want to say I came across your story,” Nedoroscik said in a video message he sent to Oldenburg, “and I found you to be such a cool, interesting dude.”
The US men’s team won their tournament opener on Wednesday against the Czech Republic but lost to Switzerland on Thursday.
