“And I remember being like, God, how am I going to do this,” O’Brien, 23, told the crowd of Holy Name students at their school on Friday morning.

Instead of backing down, she used the “offering it up” strategy, asking God to use her suffering and help her aunt, who at the time was struggling with a brain tumor diagnosis.

Her perseverance led to becoming a three-time NCAA indoor track pentathlon champion and later participating in the two-woman bobsled competition at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

“Life is hard, regardless of what you’re doing in life, be it a student or competing at the Olympics,” she said before her speech, adding that her college and Olympic training injuries were mentally and physically demanding.

Winter Olympian Jadin O’Brien poses with Holy Name Catholic School students after speaking on Friday morning in Ebensburg. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow

During those trials and tribulations, she said it’s significant to add purpose to suffering and never give up in the face of adversity.

“Had I given up after a very significant crash in bobsled, I wouldn’t have become an Olympian,” she said.

Keeping faith

O’Brien comes from a big Irish Catholic family in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, the daughter of two college athletes and one of six siblings.

“And having that many siblings and that much competition around me constantly, I think really helped me grow as an athlete.”

Winter Olympian Jadin O’Brien signs seventh grader RJ Rhoades’ cast on Friday morning at Holy Name Catholic Church in Ebensburg. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow

As a child, she also battled Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections, known as PANDAS.

Despite illness, she played basketball and track and field in high school, leading to her sports career at the University of Notre Dame.

While training as a track star, a friend — and later bobsled teammate Elana Meyers Taylor — reached out to O’Brien two years ago and asked her to join the bobsled team.

“And I thought it was a scam,” she said tongue-in-cheek and disregarded the message.

After finishing fifth in the women’s heptathlon at the U.S. national championships in 2025, she was ready for a change, so she took up Taylor’s offer in August and began training for bobsled.

The pair eventually made the IBSF World Cup, and based off of the participating teams, the U.S. Olympics made their own team for the Winter Games in 2026.

Catholic ties

O’Brien is a registered speaker through the Catholic Speakers Organization, a website that features speakers available to tell their personal stories at Catholic parishes or events.

“She stuck out to me right away,” Father Brian L. Warchola said, as O’Brien’s ties to a Catholic university were a great fit for Holy Name.

Warchola said O’Brien’s story was inspiring, mentioning how she overcame her previous illness.

Warchola reached out to O’Brien about eight months ago, before he knew she would compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

“I’m not so sure she did either,” he said, so her appearance at Holy Name successfully coincided with the international competition.

Inviting O’Brien is also a way to bring more people into the church, he said, especially children who are interested in athletics.

“My whole thing is if an Olympian can play sports and practice her faith, we all can,” he said.

Never giving in

Following O’Brien’s speech, a few Holy Name students shared their takeaways.

“I liked that she was a bobsledder,” said Kindergarten student Indie Takacs.

She said she enjoyed O’Brien’s speech as well, reflecting on the introduction Warchola gave about O’Brien’s faith and accomplishments before her speech.

Jonah Kemock, 5, said, “I went to Notre Dame before when I was one.”

Kemock would like to play hockey at the Olympics one day, while Takacs said she’d like to figure skate.

“She (O’Brien) put in muscle,” third grader Roman Damin said after hearing about O’Brien’s determination for success as a professional athlete.

Determination is a key life skill, “so you can keep pushing yourself,” he said.

“Because if you give up, you’ll never get it,” Ivy Eckenrode, 9, said.

“You don’t give up when stuff is hard,” said seventh grader RJ Rhoades.

After getting a picture with O’Brien and the Holy Name seventh grade class, Rhoades asked O’Brien to sign both of his wrist casts, explaining he broke both wrists during gym class.

“I think it’s pretty cool to see someone who went to the Olympics at our school,” he said.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.