Why Cool Runnings Could Be Getting a Sequel
And the rise of Jamaican Bobsled
Whatsup Squad,
Jamaican athletes have won a total of 94 Olympic medals, with all but one medal coming in track and field.
But that could soon change because Jamaica’s bobsled team has unfinished business.
The Origins of Cool Runnings
It’s been 36 years since Jamaica made its Winter Olympic debut at the 1988 Games, an unlikely appearance which was later immortalized in the Disney feature film Cool Runnings.
It remains one of the best sports movies of all time. With an estimated budget of only $15 million, the film grossed over $150 million worldwide.
In the movie, a few Jamaican sprinters decided to take their talents to the ice.
But the movie was largely fiction.
The original Jamaican bobsled team was not composed of sprinters. They were actually recruited from the Jamaican army.
From Duct Tape to Corporate Backing
The 1988 team trained with a sleigh held together with duct tape and sold sweatshirts to fund their expenses.
Jamaica’s squad, and its equipment, have come a long way since its first Olympic appearance.
They’ve sent men’s bobsleighs to seven Winter Games. The women’s team qualified for its first Olympics in 2018.
Now, modern sleds are adorned with decals of corporate sponsors.
In addition to securing sponsorships, North Country Sports Council, which represents the team, brokered a deal with Hotel Saranac in 2024 to establish the team’s headquarters in downtown Saranac Lake.
Other sponsors and partners include the Jamaica Tourist Board, Fever-Tree, Rev Digital Wallet, LightStrike, Jakroo, and the PyeongChang Legacy Foundation.
With a more permanent home, the Jamaican team is making a strong push to secure the country’s first Winter Olympic medal.
The early traction has been promising, with athletes competing in tournaments around the world to gradually improve the team’s overall ranking.
And many of these team members honed their athletic abilities in other disciplines before taking on the winter sport.
Jamaica’s Track-to-Bobsleigh Pipeline
While the Cool Runnings track-to-bobsled pipeline wasn’t a reality, now it is.
Just days after storming to victory in the 200m at the Jamaica National Championships, Ashanti Moore was formally introduced as the newest addition to the Jamaica Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (JBSF).
The announcement was made by JBSF President Nelson Stokes (an original member of the 1988 team), where he outlined the federation’s bold ambitions to take Jamaica to the Winter Olympic podium within the next 10 years.
Describing Moore as “an impressive athlete with all the attributes of a world-beater in bobsleigh,” Stokes said she will be a central figure in the program’s Olympic campaign.
Coach Hays, a former American medalist and one of the most respected figures in the sport, even believes Ashanti Moore could be the best ever in the sport.
With one foot on the track and the other on the ice, Moore is blazing a path few Jamaican athletes have taken.
But she is not alone.
A growing roster of standout athletes includes former national 100m champion Tyquendo Tracey, who after just two weeks of bobsled training pushed the sixth-fastest start time in the world at last year’s World Championships.
Final Thoughts
Against the background of Jamaica losing four Olympians to Turkey, Jamaica’s bobsled team serves as a powerful reminder of the abundance elite talent in the country.
And as the team prepares for an Olympic push, I urge Jamaicans to rally behind the bobsled team with the same passion shown for the Reggae Boyz, Jamaica Basketball, and the nation’s track and field icons.
This time, the goal isn’t a blockbuster movie. It’s a podium finish.
Until next time ✌🏾
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