Jamaica's bobsleigh team qualify for the Winter Olympics in three events at Beijing 2022

Updated 17/01/2022 at 18:36 GMT

The country will be represented in the four-man competition for the first time since 1998, while they still have hopes of an appearance in the two-woman event despite missing out on a guaranteed place. Team Jamaica tweeted the news, saying it will be "fire on ice" when they arrive in Beijing at the start of next month.

Jamaican bobsleigh team

Image credit: Getty Images

For the first time ever, Jamaica will compete in three different bobsleigh events at the Winter Olympics, with the country represented in the four-man, two-man and the women’s monobob in Beijing.

However, they missed out on a place in the two-woman competition after losing a tiebreaker, but could still make it to China as first alternate, should one of the qualified nations give up a spot.

The four-man team event will have Jamaican representation for the first time in 24 years after they snatched the final entry place in the 28-sled field, based on this season’s international results.

Jamaica are yet to name its Olympic squad, but Shanwayne Stephens is expected to lead the four-man team.

He could be joined by Rolando Reid, Ashley Watson and Matthew Wekpe, who have been alongside Stephens for all of this season’s races.

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It was 1988, in Calgary, when Jamaican bobsled rose to fame as the country made its debut at the Winter Games, but the country’s four-man team failed to finish.

Little did the team know at the time, but this iconic sporting story would end up on the big screen, having been the inspiration behind Disney film ‘Cool Runnings’, which was released in 1993.

The Jamaican team will undoubtedly receive a massive amount of support from spectators lucky enough to witness the action first hand, although the general public will no longer be allowed to attend events due to worries over Covid-19 number in China.

For just the second time, Jamaica will have a skier at the games, while there will be a debut for the country in alpine skiing, with British-born Benjamin Alexander set to compete in the giant slalom event.

The 38-year-old, who grew up in Northamptonshire, only took up the sport in 2016 and does not have a full-time coach, but secured his place in Beijing with a seventh placed finish at the Cape Verde National Ski Championships in January.

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