Jamaica’s Bobsled Team Qualifies for Olympics for First Time in Over 20 Years
Almost three decades after being immortalized by Hollywood, everybody’s favorite underdogs are back on the Olympic stage.
Jamaica will be represented in bobsledding events in the 2022 Beijing Olympics in February after securing a berth in Monday’s qualifying. It’s the first time the country has qualified since 1998, and comes 34 years after the team’s first Winter Olympics appearance in 1988, which later inspired the 1993 Disney film Cool Runnings.
For the first time ever, Jamaica will send three different teams—the men’s four- and two-man teams and the women’s monobob—to compete in the Games.
The country’s debut bobsled team became an underdog story fit for Hollywood, as the four bobsledders had never before ridden a sled before, much less competed at a high level. Despite finishing in 30th in the two-man event and crashing in the four-man, the team became an inspiration after walking the sled to the finish line.
Jamaica had at least one men’s team qualify for each Olympics from 1988 to 2002, but didn’t make another appearance again until 2014. A women’s team qualified in 2018 in South Korea.
The best-ever finish for a Jamaican bobsled team is 14th, giving this year'’ squads something to aim for as they make their Olympic return.
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