Bobsleigh-Jamaica seek sliding success to replace 'Cool Runnings' past

Advertisement Sport Bobsleigh-Jamaica seek sliding success to replace 'Cool Runnings' past Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics - Bobsleigh - 2-man Heat 1 - Cortina Sliding Centre, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy - February 16, 2026. Shane Pitter and Junior Harris of Jamaica begins their first run REUTERS/Annegret Hilse Members of Jamaica's National bobsleigh team Chris Stokes and Rolando Reid visit Trench Town, the birthplace of reggae music, on the fourth day of the Platinum Jubilee Royal Tour of the Caribbean by Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Kingston, Jamaica March 22, 2022. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics - Bobsleigh - Women's Monobob Heat 1 - Cortina Sliding Centre, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy - February 15, 2026. Mica Moore of Jamaica in action REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha 17 Feb 2026 12:40AM Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 16 : Chris Stokes, a founding member of Jamaica's original "Cool Runnings" bobsleigh crew, recalls being mobbed by fans at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics the moment he put on the team jacket and left the athletes' village to go into town."That's a rookie mistake which I made," he recalls 38 years later, the buzz still echoing as the current quartet compete at the Milano Cortina Games."Even now, yesterday, when I came back from the track with the team in the van and they just opened the door to let me out, people saw Jamaica bobsleigh and we were absolutely mobbed," Stokes told Reuters."I myself go down the street in a plain black jacket. You want to be respectful of your fans and people who support the programme, but you wouldn't get anywhere. You wouldn't get to the corner store to buy a coffee." Subscribe to CNA's Recommended Read A single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss. Just one a day. This service is not intended for persons residing in the E.U. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp’s partners. Loading MAKING A MOTIVATIONAL MESSAGE The 2026 team were soon surrounded when they ventured recently into the chic Dolomites resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo.Stokes, now 62 and president of the Jamaica Bobsleigh Federation, saw in it a motivational message."My 1994 team finished 14th at the Olympic Games. And until a team finishes higher than that at the Olympic Games, that team is the best Jamaican bobsled team ever. I've said this to the guys," he continued."I've also said to them 'Don't confuse yourselves. When you step out of the car and somebody's asking you for an autograph, it's because of something I and my teammates did. That's nothing that you have done'."My challenge to them is, by the end of these games, by the time you step on the track in 2030 in La Plagne (France) and in Salt Lake City in 2034, let people, fans, be crowding you because of something you did. That's my challenge to them."IMMORTALISED BY 'COOL RUNNINGS' The 1988 Jamaican bob, with Stokes joining his brother Dudley along with Devon Harris and Michael White, was immortalised in the 1993 movie "Cool Runnings", also the name of the sled.Jamaica were classified last in 1988. By 1994 they had moved up to top half of the 30 entrants, beating the United States and Italy among others."Led by my brother, it took Jamaica Bobsleigh a long time to learn. Six, seven, eight years to learn that ... it's not just athleticism, it's discipline and focus, being present, playing your role. These guys (the current team) understand this from day one," said Stokes."We also have the benefit now of (coach) Todd Hays, who is himself a silver medallist and who has coached multiple medal winners for both the U.S. and Canada, who at one time coached Russia and who brings to the table a crystal clear understanding of what it takes to win."Todd says to me all the time 'we know what we need to do to win. We know that already, so it's just a matter of putting the pieces in place'."(Writing by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne) Source: Reuters Newsletter Recommended Read Subscribe to CNA's Recommended Read A single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss. Just one a day. Sign up for our newsletters Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Subscribe here Get the CNA app Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Download here Get WhatsApp alerts Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app Join here Advertisement Also worth reading Content is loading... Advertisement Expand to read the full story Get bite-si