Gerald Stafford

Gerald Stafford

OGM, POFB

Personal information
Citizenship	Eirian
Born	27 July 1991 Lešala, Monter Province, Eiria
Education	B1-M, M1-M
Alma mater	Kōlenceda City University School of Medicine
Occupation	Athlete, Sports Physician
Sport
Country	Eiria
Partner	Paul Schmidt
Medal record Men's Bobsledding Representing Eiria Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 3 0 0 Total 3 0 0 Olympic Games Central 2019 Two Person New Riga 2021 Two Person Hanshui 2023 Two Person

Kur. Dok. Gerald Stafford OGM is an Eirian bobsled athlete and three time Olympic Champion who competes in the Men's Two Person Bobsled. He and his athletic partner Paul Schmidt are the only athletes to have successfully defended their Olympic Gold Medals twice in a row, and they are also the only athletes to hold medals from every Olympics to date. He is also a licensed and trained sports physician.

Early Life

Stafford was born in Lešala, a suburb of Kōlenceda in Monter Province. His mother was a nurse working in one of the local clinics, and his father was a construction worker in the area. When he was younger, he often bonded with his father through sports and exercise, including skiing and weightlifting. Unfortunately, his father was left partially paralyzed after a workplace accident when Stafford was 14, leading to Stafford and his mother having to help take care of him. Despite this, Stafford continued to earn high marks in both his school and athletic competitions.

Career

After entering Kōlenceda University's medical school, the University's track and field coach encouraged him to try out for the bobsled team during the winter season. There, he met Paul Schmidt, who would later become his partner. Stafford and Schmidt were on their University's Men's Four Person team, with Stafford being the driver and Schmidt being the brakeman. Their team practiced on the West Kōlenceda Sliding Track. After two years, Stafford and Schmidt switched to competing in the two-man category.

Their first major victory came after they won the 2012 Mountain Slope Bobsled Tournament in Dalira, Monter Province, not too far from their home track. This victory established their place on the national bobsledding stage, allowing them to compete in even bigger tournaments. They competed at the 2014 Eirian National Bobsled Championships, where they placed fourth in a narrow finish. The following year, they earned first place in that same competition, a feat that they have managed to repeat in 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023. This line of victories qualified the pair to represent Eiria in all three Olymiads.

Olympic Appearances

Gerald Stafford and Paul Schmidt are most famous for their impressive runs at the IDU Olympic Games. At the 2019 Central Olympiad, their run of 51.62 gained them the first ever Olympic gold medals in Two-man bobsleigh. They repeated this feat at the subsequent 2021 New Riga Olympiad and 2023 Hanshui Olympiad, making them the only Olympic champions in Two-man bobsleigh to date. Partially due to the early cancellation of the 2019 Olympic Games, this streak also makes Stafford and Schmidt the only athletes who earned medals from all three Olympic Games thus far.