KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
February 18, 2018
By Jennifer Skelton
Katy's Jonathan Garcia will compete in the 500 meter speed skating event in the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea on Monday, February 19th. Garcia was born and raised in Katy, graduating from Taylor High School in 2005.
Garcia began skating in 1994 at the age of 7, after watching Dan Jansen win a gold medal in the winter games in Lillehammer, Norway. Every weekend, the family would make a trip from Katy to Waco to practice and train with one of the best coaches in the country.
In November 2007 after being recruited to switch from inline speed skating to ice, he moved to Utah permanently to train and has lived there since.
Since that time, Garcia has won various competitions and medals. In 2013, after qualifying for the 2014 Olympics in the 500 meter, he was disqualified for not wearing the required electronic training responders. Garcia made the Olympic team in the 1000 meter event and finished 28th in Sochi.
No matter where Garcia lives, he is a Katy/Houston boy at heart. He loves the Houston Astros, as evidenced in the hat he is wearing in the above 2018 Olympic picture. In fact, to get pumped for the 2018 Olympic games, he rewatched game 5 of the 2017 World Series. Garcia also enjoys Texans football and Houston Rockets. Barbecue and Tex Mex are his favorite eats.
Tune in on Monday, February 19th on NBC. The 500 meter speed skating event is scheduled to start at 5:53 AM but may also be televised again later during the day.