Competition for Germany?

Jamaica plans Olympic sensation - "Cool Runnings 2.0" in four-man bobsleigh

Created: 02/18/2022, 15:28

By: Christoph Klaucke

Jamaica's four-man bobsleigh in Calgary in 1988 made Olympic history as the “Cool Runnings”.

© Rüdiger Schrader/dpa

Jamaica planning an Olympics sensation.

The new “Cool Runnings” want to race onto the podium in four-man bobsleigh.

Does Germany even have to worry about its supremacy?

Beijing/Yanqing - Every four years, the Olympic Winter Games write their very own winter sports fairy tale.

As in Calgary in 1988, a four-man bobsleigh from Jamaica will be competing at the Olympics in Beijing.

At that time, the "Jambob" raced into the hearts of winter sports fans and was later the inspiration for the Disney cult film "Cool Runnings".

However, the favorite in the ice channel in Yanqing is - how could it be otherwise - the German bobsleigh driven by exceptional pilot Francesco "Franz" Friedrich.

Germany already scooped all three medals in the two-man bobsleigh.

Nevertheless, the Olympic team from Jamaica has set itself high goals.

The four-man bob wants to race onto the podium - even if not in China.

Olympic sensation: Jamaica's “Cool Runnings” want to race onto the podium in four-man bobsleigh

Chris Stokes has an Olympic dream.

"In 2030," says the Jamaican bobsleigh pioneer, "we want to make it onto the podium with one of our sleds." Stokes knows, of course, that this will be a huge challenge for the Caribbean island nation.

But he also knows from his own experience how crazy winter sports can be at times.

When the first Jamaican bobsleigh team rattled down an Olympic ice track in Calgary in 1988, Stokes unexpectedly got in the sled.

His brother Dudley, the pilot, had actually only invited him to Canada as a spectator.

But then a member of the crew was injured.

"I had experience in sprinting and sat in a bobsleigh for the first time on Monday," Stokes said in an AFP interview on the edge of the Olympic track in Yanqing.

The race started the following weekend.

Jamaica bobsleigh "Cool Runnings 2.0": First Olympic race in 24 years

For the first time in 24 years, a Jamaican four-man bob will compete in an Olympic race in Yanqing on Saturday.

Chris Stokes, now 58, has played a large part in this as President of the national association for many years.

Under his leadership, Jamaica qualified for a total of three bobsleigh competitions in China - and he has high hopes for the future.

"Bobsleigh is all about speed, strength and hand-eye coordination - we're good at that," he says.

However, a lack of money is a problem, "because the time on the ice is expensive and difficult for us to get, that's the real hurdle".

As early as 2014 in Sochi, the Olympic comeback of a Jamaican bobsledder after twelve years was only possible because, among other things, fans all over the world had collected money at the last second.

There is now, says Stokes, "a professional organization to manage the brand and generate revenue."

Video: Olympia 22 - The Jamaican bobsled team warms up

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Olympic dream: Caribbean island of Jamaica is planning the big coup in the ice channel

There is a difference of "day and night" between the then "Cool Runnings" conditions and today.

For example, unlike in the past, there is a professional training base in the USA, while the 1988 crew had to rely on “unusual” things to prepare, says Stokes.

However: Jamaica is still a long way from being at the top of the world.

Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian finished second to last in the women's monobob on the Olympic track.

Shanwayne Stephens finished last in the men's twos.

Even in the foursome, the team around pilot Stephens only starts as a blatant outsider.

Stokes' dream - it's only just begun.

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