Hays, who picked up a silver medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, said: "I've always been interested in the position.

"It's always an Olympic coach's goal to coach for their home country, so this was a great opportunity that presented itself."

A crash in 2009 left Hays with a serious head injury, forcing him out of the 2010 Vancouver Games, and he has since been working as a coach with the Dutch team.

Hays will officially take up his post on July 1, and USBS Federation chief executive Darren Steele said: "Todd easily transitioned into a coaching role last season and was the overwhelming choice of the athletes and the current coaching staff."

Despite differences during his days as an athlete over issues such as technology, these have been put to bed and Hays says he is focused on helping the American team win more races.

Vancouver 2010 Olympic bronze medallist Elana Meyers said: "Todd Hays is a game changer.

"He is a great addition to the team and will put the US women in a position to win three medals in Sochi."

The team is in a transitional phase following the retirement of Shauna Rohbock and Valerie Fleming, and Hays said that he is optimistic that the team can go from strength to strength despite the loss.

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