Following in the footsteps of those who came before them, the Jamaican bobsleigh team is causing quite a chatter at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
If you’re a millennial who had an affinity for Disney classics throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the phrase “feel the rhythm, feel the ride,” uttered in the film Cool Runnings, might sound familiar, and that’s the exact vibe.
Meet the team
Representing Jamaica in the women’s monobob is Mica Moore, as pilot Shane Pitter and push athletes Andrae Dacres, Junior Harris, Tyquendo Tracey and Joel Fearon will compete in the two-man and four-man sleds.
This season marks a breakthrough for the team, following its appearance at the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton North American Cup in November. The team made history with its first-ever international bobsleigh win, a four-man gold in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.
Now, at the Games in Milano Cortina, the team aims to carry on the legacy of the first Jamaican bobsleigh team at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, which also inspired the cult classic Cool Runnings.
“Once we secured that gold medal, we automatically knew that there’s more to come,” Shane Pitter told Blavity in an recent interview. “That built our confidence and boosted our spirit to when we get back in the next competition, we’ll just keep on dominating and bring home the gold,” he continued.
Junior Harris added, “For me, personally, ever since I went down the track with pilot Shane the first time, I felt a sense of confidence in the guy. He’s a genius, I must say, and we, as a team, collectively, we always put our confidence in him,” adding, “So, from the first time training, before even competition, I knew that we could actually do well in Whistler when we got that historic gold medal.”
Big shoes to fill
Many have deemed the current Jamaican bobsled team a repeat of the Cool Runnings guys, and it’s a sentiment they don’t take lightly one bit.
“What happened in the 1988 Games, where Jamaica competed at their first Olympics, that was like a start for the future for us, so that’s still like a motivation to us, and we take that with us every day,” Pitter said. “It’s kind of an extra motivation to do better than the last team and the last team before; we really work hard.”
“We’re basically rewriting history,” Harris added. “If you guys remember the movie quite well, what we’re doing now — the victories and the popularity that we’re getting right now, it’s basically like in the movie, and we’re just rewriting it in real life.”
A home away from home
Team Jamaica is getting the luxury treatment during its extended stay in Milan, Italy, where this year’s Winter Olympics are held.
Thanks to Airbnb, the team can stay together in an environment that helps them maintain routine, focus and connection during the intensity of the competition.
A bonus? It’s set up to be an extension of their homes in Jamaica.
“We get to live like we’re in Jamaica,” Harris shared. “We cook. We bring our Jamaican spices with us, corned beef, all the things you can think of what a Jamaican will bring.”
In addition to that, Pitter said it’s a relief that no one is knocking on their door, waking them up for breakfast, or telling them they’re too loud.
“For me, it’s really home, because everybody got their own room,” Ritter mentioned. “The bed is big,” joking, “I almost got lost in my bed, and the space is very big, so I’m feeling not claustrophobic but much more comfortable.”
Representing Jamaica at a pivotal time
Last year in October, Hurricane Melissa became the most intense hurricane landfall recorded in the Atlantic Basin, striking Jamaica with winds of 185 mph.
Many suffered pain and losses, including damaged homes, and communities and families are still rebuilding as a result of the natural disaster.
“A lot of people haven’t yet recovered from Hurricane Melissa, and because they’re not like recovered, that’s still a motivation for me heading into the Games to just work harder and harder and relieve some spirits that are being broken from the hurricane,” Pitter said.
“It means a lot to represent Jamaica,” Harris added. “It’s a big deal.” He continued, “Anywhere in the world Jamaicans go, we get love, but we always keep those people in the western part of Jamaica, because that’s where it hit most. Keep them in your mind, also in your prayers, and we just do it for them, as well as for our family. So we don’t take it as a burden; we take it as a motivation to do good each time we step on the starting block.”
In addition to housing the team for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, Airbnb also stepped in to offer free emergency housing to those affected by Hurricane Melissa.
Empowering the next generation through sport
Much like the current team is walking in the footsteps of the 1988 Cool Runnings athletes that came before them, Pitter and Harris see themselves playing a role in expanding perceptions of winter sports for people who look like them.
“We are here showing Jamaicans and the world that no matter how small you are, how small your country is, we still can do what we set out to do,” Harris declared. “We all know Jamaica is a tropical island. We’re here competing in the Winter Olympics; it’s a bit not normal. You normally see Jamaica competing in the Summer Olympics, dominating because, of course, you have the sprint faction. We’re just doing this to show people that they can achieve what they really put their mind to.”
Pitter concluded, “I just want to let them know, the younger generation, that it’s not going to be easy to make the team. And obviously, we’re not just athletes. We’re a group of athletes that are mentally strong and also physically strong, and you got to basically put your mind to do bobsled. If you really want to make it, you can’t give up because they’re going to be days where we have an incident where maybe the sled crashes; things happen like that, and you have to just get up and go at the top of the track and start again,” adding, “This sport comes with a lot of mental toughness; you gotta have that.”