Steve and Chris Langton are representing Somerville as well as TeamUSA at the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

By Nidhi Mathson

If you caught the two-man bobsled race in the Sochi Winter Olympics this past weekend, you may have seen Steve Langton, on Steven Holcomb’s team, representing the United States. His brother Christopher Langton is also at the Olympics as an alternate for TeamUSA. What you may not know is that both Steve and Chris Langton are former employees of Langton & Douglas, a contracting company in Somerville.

Although born and raised in Melrose, Steve and Chris’ parents, Steven and Anne Langton, as well as their grandparents, are Somerville natives. Steven Langton co-owns Langton & Douglas (you may recognize the back of the trash trucks with the sign “Sliding for the gold … with local talent”).

The oldest of three boys, Steve also competed in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, where he captured gold as part of Steven Holcomb’s four-man team, “Night Train Squared.”

“Steve was hungry for competition and has always wanted to be in the Olympics,” his father said. “He saw an ad online for bobsledding and applied.”

According to his father, Steve played soccer and football in high school and was a sprinter and jumper on the track and field team at Northeastern University.

This sign can be found on the backs of Russell Disposal trucks.

A naturally athletic family, the elder Steven Langton was involved in a number of extracurricular activities, including basketball, football, golf and skiing at St. Clement School in Medford, while Anne Langton was a dancer at Somerville High School. Christopher Langton, their youngest son, is a lacrosse player at Cornell University, though he has put his lacrosse career on hold to follow in his brother’s footsteps at the Olympics.

Christopher, who had to stay behind during the Vancouver Olympics to finish his lacrosse season, was inspired by his brother after he had watched him on TV.

“He saw [Steve] in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and wanted to follow in his footsteps,”  their father said, explaining how Chris left his lacrosse team to join Langton in the Sochi Olympics as an alternate bobsled racer for Team USA.

“We loved watching the Olympics – we always watched it, every time, never missed it,” Anne said. “[As the parent of an Olympian], you feel very proud, and for the Olympians it’s such an honor to represent your country. The sacrifices that all athletes make to reach the pinnacle of whatever sport they’re competing in is amazing. It takes sacrifice, hard work and determination. We’re hoping they’ll bring home the gold.”

Many Somerville residents will likely be hoping for the same thing.

If you missed the bobsled race this past weekend, you can still catch Steve Langton in the four-man race this Saturday and Sunday.

Update: On Monday, Steve Langton and teammate Steven Holcomb won a two-man bobsled bronze medal, the first Americans to do so in 62 years of Olympic competition.