Christopher COLEMAN (USA)
Olympian Artist – Photography: Beijing 2022
Christopher Coleman loves to capture the natural beauty of Colorado and iconic landscapes and cityscapes across the United States. A two-time Olympian at the 1992 and 1994 Olympic Winter Games in four-man bobsleigh, Christopher hung up his sports equipment in 1998 to dedicate himself wholeheartedly to his photography.
He is self-taught, and believes that the best camera is the one in your hand. Since retiring from the United States Olympic Committee, where he worked in the marketing department, Christopher Coleman’s focus has been on supporting and assisting his teenage son to realise his academic and athletic dreams.
Originally from Binghamton, New York, Christopher attended Vestal High School in New York State where he ran track and field. He then went on to Binghamton University, where he earned a number of national honours in track and field. He graduated with a bachelor’s in economics/philosophy as well as a master’s in marketing.
ARTISTIC PROJECT
PATHWAY
TRAINING RUN
ONE STEP AT A TIME
Kelly Salchow MacArthur participated in the Paris edition of the Olympian Artists programme by leading creative workshops to create collages inspired by the Olympic values and photographs taken in their local neighborhood with at-risk children living in foster homes in the 10th and 19th districts of Paris in October 2023.
"We talked about Olympic values, which can truly provide life lessons and guidance in terms of the choices we make when faced with decisions. The values of self-confidence, resilience, determination, teamwork, self-actualization, fair play, and setting long-term goals can guide us in pursuing our strengths to the point of reaching our potential."
Questions and answers
What does being an Olympian or Paralympian mean to you personally? How does it define your approach to life and how you view yourself and the world?
Being an Olympian means that I’ve dedicated myself to achieving a goal, worked hard, had many failures, but struggled and persevered to earn the right to compete at the highest level in my sport for my country. It’s provided me with a template of excellence that I’ve been able to transfer into other parts of my non-sporting life, as well as to communicate and to inspire others by being an example for them.
What do the Olympic values mean to you?
The Olympic values are the foundation in the journey towards excellence.
How do you explain to people that the Olympic Games are more than just a sports competition?
I like to tell people that the Olympic Games are a metaphor for daily life. It is a struggle you encounter when striving for a goal. Along the way you work hard on your body and mind, make friends, make mistakes, have successes and failures. At the end, you find out that the bonds that you make on the journey and lessons learned are the ultimate prize.
If you could go back in time and give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
I would tell myself to trust and listen to my inner voice more.
Are there parallels in your approach to your art and your approach to your sport? Or do you find that the two dimensions bring/brought out totally different sides of your personality?
There are parallels. In sport you’re training physically and repeating the same movements over and over again trying to achieve perfection. In art, you exercise the mind and, through practice and repetition, learn to express yourself through different media, such as sculpture, painting, photography and music.
Do you have a message for the people reading this?
I would like to encourage all people, but in particular young people, to surround themselves with positive influences and pursue what makes them happy and brings them joy. If you can find joy in hard work, that will take you a long way in life.
Meet the artists
Olympian artists at Beijing 2022
