David Oliver

David Oliver was an American track and field star who took home a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Oliver's athletic ability was apparent from a very young age. He was a standout track and field star in grade school, and continued his athletic success at Denver East High School. As a star hurdler in high school, Oliver got the attention of various major universities, who flew out West to see him in action. He was aggressively recruited by Howard University's head coach in track and field, and eventually decided on enrolling there. During his tenure at Howard, Oliver quickly rose to become one of the best track and field stars the school had ever had. He was named All American by the NCAA twice for track and field, and also started as a wide receiver for the Howard football team. After college Oliver had offers to try out for a few NFL teams, including the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings, but he decided to stick with track and field. He competed in his first Olympics in 2008 and took home the bronze medal in the 100-meter hurdles. Oliver was pleased with his bronze medal win, but he was now more determined than ever to win gold for his country. Over the next two years Oliver racked up a number of gold medal wins at various international track and field competitions, but an injury had him sidelined throughout most of 2011. For that reason Oliver failed to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London. Undeterred, he spent the next four years training hard in preparation for his Olympics comeback in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.