All-American athlete eyes 2026 gold
College graduation often signals the end of competitive amateur sports. However, this milestone marked the beginning of a quest for Olympic gold for Bailey Golden. Always a strong athlete, in 2024, Golden began an athletic career in bobsledding, landing a position on the elite USA Bobsled-Skeleton (USABS) team. Setting her sights high, Golden aspires to compete for the United States against other countries and win gold during the 2026 Winter Olympics set to take place in Milan, Italy.
“I want to represent my country on the biggest competitive stage,” Golden said.
As a USABS team member, Golden has returned from competitions in Europe in time for Women’s History Month. Proud of her Chickasaw heritage, she wants to share her tribe’s culture with others from across the world while making history.
As an All-American heptathlete from Oklahoma State University (OSU), Stillwater, Oklahoma, USABS coaches recognized Golden’s explosive power. Upon graduation, Golden was invited to participate on the Bobsled World Cup Team. She is currently in Europe representing the USA in various international competitions.
“Becoming involved with bobsledding occurred very randomly,” Golden said. “After my national meet with track, the head coach – coach (Christopher) Fogt – reached out to me. He thought I might be a good fit for the sport. I was invited to a rookie camp. That set the dominos in motion.”
Rookie camp took place in Lake Placid, New York. Golden would later be asked to attend a development camp, which led to the next step in the process. “I was invited to the Push Championships in September and October,” Golden said. “The championship takes place every year to help determine the national team. We compete to see who has the fastest push time.”
According to Golden, push times at the beginning of the course can determine the difference between winning and losing a bobsledding competition. A fast start time and good driving make all the difference.
“As little as three-tenths of a second at the top of the race can mean as much as a whole second by the time you reach bottom,” Golden said. “Being able to produce that force for a quick start time is important.”
With exceptional push times, Golden earned a place on the USABS team. Golden is currently the “brakeman” for her two-person women’s bobsled team. While striving to give the bobsled the best possible start down the course, she also brakes the sled when the course has come to an end.
“There are similarities between bobsled and track: power, explosiveness, speed and force production,” Golden said. “My track background of being a multi-eventer has laid the foundation for power and explosiveness needed for bobsledding. While transitioning into this sport, I focused more on sprint mechanics and getting quicker – training like a short sprinter.”
As a track and field athlete at OSU, Golden saw major success. She participated in both indoor and outdoor track and field events. As a heptathlete, she took part in the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter race, long jump, javelin throw and 800-meter race. As an indoor pentathlete, Golden competed in the 60-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump and 800- meter race.
Golden currently holds three track and field records for OSU. These include scoring the most points combined as a heptathlete and for both individual indoor and outdoor long jumps.
For the 2024 season, Golden was ranked the sixth best collegiate heptathlete in the nation. This has been one of her proudest achievements.
“I decided to pursue track in college because I wanted to dive into this sport and see how good I could become. I wanted to push my boundaries and learn new things. My coach sat me down and we discussed what it would take to reach my goal of becoming an All-American. That is what we worked toward.”
Athletics have always played an important role in Golden’s life. She began playing basketball in first grade. Golden would continue to play basketball throughout high school, later adding track and field sports to her repertoire.
Golden helped lead her hometown high school basketball team to numerous conference and regional championships, including a state title. While attending Choctaw High School, Golden won five state championships, one for basketball and four in track and field events. During her senior year, Golden earned All-State accolades in both basketball and track. She captured the record for both the high and long jumps.
“Athletics were a main focus of mine growing up,” Golden said. “I enjoyed the process of what it took to become a next level athlete, the long hours in the gym, sacrifices – lessons learned like time management, handling pressure, adversity, etc. – learning new mechanics, pushing your body past its limits and bonds formed with teammates. It soon becomes an addictive lifestyle, but a good addiction.”
While a track and field athlete at OSU, Golden was asked to play for the OSU women’s basketball team her sophomore year. It was tough competing in both track and field, and basketball at the collegiate level.
“It was intense. I was reestablishing myself with basketball and maintaining a high level of competition within track. There was no time for anything besides school, sports and recovery,” she said. “Understanding goals and priorities were important. ‘Late nights and early mornings’ was the motto that got me through.”
Entering college, Golden’s goal was to be a first team All-American in the heptathlon. However, she didn’t get to start her outdoor track season until her junior year of school because of a redshirt freshman year and the COVID-19 pandemic during her sophomore year.
“I came to OSU solely for track,” Golden said. “The main reason was the coach that recruited me, Josh Langley. He came to OSU not long before. He wanted me to help build his heptathlon program. He was straightforward and laid down a plan to get us both what we wanted. That was a big factor in my decision.”
Among other accolades, Golden has been recognized 12 times as an All-Big 12 Conference honoree and is a three-time All-American athlete.
“Of all my achievements, I value those of my last season the most,” Golden said. “In 2024, I became a first team All-American. First team All-Americans place within the top eight in the country for their event.”
Golden’s accomplishments in sports have not been her only accomplishments at OSU. Golden strives to have as much success in academics as she has in sports. She has completed her bachelor’s degree in pre-med biology, with minors in microbiology and psychology. She finished her undergraduate classes with a 3.9 cumulative grade-point average.
Golden is currently in her second year of her master’s degree from OSU in forensic science.
“I have always been interested in how crime scenes work,” Golden said. “I really enjoy scuba diving. I would like to blend the two together. Working for the FBI on their scuba recovery team would be interesting. I am currently writing a 20-page paper on pulling up latent fingerprints from submerged objects.”
As an Academic All-American in 2024, she maintained a cumulative GPA above 3.3 and finished in the top 50 in a NCAA event. From 2019 until 2023, Golden was an Academic All-Big 12 athlete maintaining above a cumulative 3.2 GPA and participating in 20% or more of her team’s scheduled contests.
Golden was granted the 2023 OSU Senior Director Chair Award for maintaining balance in academics, being impactful in her sport and exemplifying what a student athlete should be.
“I have to give credit to my tutors,” Golden said. “It was a lot of odd, late hours. Some nights we would not start until 8:30 or 9 at night. When I was playing both sports, if basketball practice was midday, I would need to have my track practice and weightlifting done before then. I would also need to warm up and recover after practice as well as watch film. It adds up to some late nights.”
In 2022, Golden was presented with the Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award. This is the Big 12 Conference’s highest academic honor. Golden was also presented with a Citation of Outstanding Achievement from the state of Oklahoma.
“Having success at Oklahoma State, as an Oklahoma native, sparked my interest within the community,” Golden said. “Having the ability to show the younger generations that it is possible to come from a smaller town and accomplish big things is empowering.
“I also think it’s important to give back to your community. All throughout college I volunteered at the animal shelter, food community center – Our Daily Bread – and the Stillwater Medical Center,” Golden said.
As a Chickasaw, Golden is proud of the influence her ancestors have had on the communities within the Chickasaw Nation.
“I receive my Chickasaw heritage from my mother, Jeanna Golden,” she said. “To my knowledge, my ancestors, the Norton family, settled in Tishomingo and (the community of) Norton, Oklahoma. Norton was named after my third great-grandmother, Sealy Anderson Norton, who lived from 1837 to 1917.” She is proud of what the Chickasaw Nation accomplishes for its citizens, and proud of her Chickasaw heritage.
“I admire the Chickasaw tribe for their devotion to tribal members,” Golden said. “They give back significantly to ensure that their citizens have what they need to succeed, from medical care, education and caring for the elders.”
In the past, Golden has been a beneficiary of a variety of the programs and services provided to her by the Chickasaw Nation. She is the recipient of numerous education grants and scholarships. These have included a clothing stipend and laptop to complete her studies. Golden is also pleased with the benefits her grandparents receive from the tribe, such as meals for the holidays, retreat trips and the Chickasaw Nation Senior Center available to them.
“I am the most grateful for the Chickasaw tribe in providing me with an excellent education,” Golden said. “Once I have completed my studies, I hope to find a way to give back and show my appreciation. This could be done through various avenues, such as pursuing a career within the tribe or volunteering my time with the skills I have learned.”