Hakeem Abdul-Saboor, left, with fellow members of the U.S. Olympic men's bobsled team (Photo via Instagram)
Hakeem Abdul-Saboor, 30, is a Powhatan High School graduate, a dog lover and an avid bodybuilder. He's also a member of the United States men’s Olympic bobsled team competing in PyeongChang, South Korea, this month.
Born in New Jersey, the athlete calls Powhatan home after attending high school there and competing in track and field and basketball in addition to playing running back and defensive back for the Indians football team.
Abdul-Saboor's coaches saw something special in him from the beginning. "When you put the total package together, he’s one of the best athletes that I’ve had the opportunity to coach, and I’ve been coaching since 1979," says Jim Woodson, head coach of Powhatan High School's football team.
Football was a passion Abdul-Saboor would pursue through to the University of Virginia at Wise, though an ACL injury his senior year ended his dreams of going pro.
He moved to Tennessee after graduating in 2009 and became a personal trainer and speed-agility-quickness coach. An Olympic strength coach saw video of Abdul-Saboor during a workout demonstrating an incredible floor-to-ceiling vertical leap and invited the athlete to compete in a USA Bobsled event. A successful finish led to full-time dedication to bobsledding and a spot on the U.S. Olympic team after just a few years in the sport.
"With his work ethic and his natural ability," says Woodson, "[combined] with specializing on something like he’s done, it doesn’t surprise me he got to that level."
From Korea via social media, Abdul-Saboor said, "This experience is unlike any. ... I'm more stoked than ever to show the world what we can do!"
Hakeem Abdul-Saboor will compete in the two- and four-man bobsled events in PyeongChang. Competition in those events begins Sunday, Feb. 18, following the 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremonies on Friday, Feb. 9. Find the full TV schedule at nbcolympics.com.