KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers Johnson County. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
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Come Saturday, Lee's Summit native Caleb Furnell will officially be an Olympian. He will make his Olympic bobsledding debut Saturday as part of the four-man bobsled team.
KSHB 41 has been in touch with Caleb Furnell and his family since December 2025, before he left for Italy.
KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig followed up with Caleb Furnell's mom, Margene Furnell, and his wife, Brynlee Furnell, on Friday once they had all arrived in Cortina.
"He is like the least anxious person. He's just humbly confident and sure about what he needs to do," Brynlee Furnell said.
"Just being here is enough," Margene Furnell said. "It's enough to just qualify to be here, to race."
Caleb Furnell is a graduate of Lee's Summit West High School. He was a highly-decorated track and field athlete in high school, and bobsledding wasn't always part of the plan.
"I finished my track and field career at Utah Valley," Caleb Furnell said previously. "I didn't do anything for a couple of months, thought I was done with athletics."
Then a phone call from a friend changed his path.
"My friend called me up, and was like, 'Hey, there's a combine for bobsled. You should come out,'" Caleb Furnell shared in a previous interview. "And I was like, 'Okay, sure.' The day before, no prep, went and did it. Turned out pretty well."
He continued practicing in Park City, Utah, and his natural ability quickly became apparent.
"I went to the National Push Champs, Individual Trials and took fourth, so it worked out very well for me," he said. "From there, I made the national team and have been racing."
Caleb Furnell currently lives in Utah with his wife Brynlee Furnell, their two cats and a dog named Louis, after Formula 1 racing, which the adrenaline junkie loves.
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