A 17-year-old who only took up the sport 11 months ago is set to continue Jamaica’s rich tradition in bobsleigh at the Winter Youth Olympic Games.The bobsleigh competition will be held at the Lillehammer Olympic Sliding Centre, the same track on which the Caribbean country finished in 14th place in the four-man event at the 1994 Winter Olympic Games. Daniel Mayhew, who comes from the same Orange Field community as former 100 metres world record holder Asafa Powell, is the first Jamaican to be selected for a Winter Youth Olympics after none appeared at the inaugural event in Innsbruck in 2012.
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Jamaican Daniel Mayhew will be the first bobsledder to represent Jamaica next week at the Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer. It is remarkable that for the first time sitting in a sleigh, the 17-year-old Mayhew less than a year ago. Daniel joins the monobobs that was specially designed for Lillehammer in 2016. Since his first run Mayhew has trained in Switzerland, Austria and Norway, where he also participated in the qualifiers. At the moment he is 22nd in the rankings and that was enough to be allowed to compete in Lillehammer. “I can go to the Youth Olympic Games is unbelievable,” he told the Jamaica Gleaner. “It was such an overwhelming feeling when I knew I was posted after my last run in qualifying.” Bobsleigh and Jamaica is of course synonymous with “Sanka, ya dead? Ya mon”, but Mayhew is not going to join for fun only on the Norwegian ice. “I hope for a medal, maybe even gold,” said the ambitious bobsledder, from the same village as the former world record holder in the 100 meter sprint Asafa Powell. “I have the potential to do it, I just have to listen to […]
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A 17-year-old who only took up the sport 11 months ago is set to continue Jamaica’s rich tradition in bobsleigh at the Winter Youth Olympic Games.The bobsleigh competition will be held at the Lillehammer Olympic Sliding Centre, the same track on which the Caribbean country finished in 14th place in the four-man event at the 1994 Winter Olympic Games. Daniel Mayhew, who comes from the same Orange Field community as former 100 metres world record holder Asafa Powell, is the first Jamaican to be selected for a Winter Youth Olympics after none appeared at the inaugural event in Innsbruck in 2012. Cool runnings! 🇨🇭 Ski and Snowboardcross Team with 🇯🇲 Monobob Team! @teamjamaica #friendship #swissolympicteam #jamaicaolympics #lillehammer2016 #iLoveYOG A photo posted by Swiss Olympic Team (@swissolympicteam) on Feb 11, 2016 at 11:29am PST Although he completed his first run less than a year ago, Mayhew has trained and competed in Switzerland, Austria and Norway since then and is ranked 22nd in the world. This proved enough for him to qualify for the Games. “Going to the Olympic Games is a really extraordinary feeling,” Mayhew told the Jamaican Gleaner after confirming his place. “When I […]
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In celebration of the spirit of the Olympic Games, Samsung Electronics is supporting the Jamaican national bobsleigh team at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games as part of an effort to celebrate the perseverance and dedication of all of the athletes who have participated in the qualifiers on the road to Sochi. Through financial support and a range of mobile devices, Samsung is helping sustain the Jamaican bobsleigh team’s Olympic aspirations for Sochi. The Jamaican bobsled team’s improbable journey to the 1988 Calgary Games became a staple of pop culture and Olympic folklore. [hr] [column2] [/column2] [column2_last] [/column2_last] [hr] “As we embark on the final weeks leading up to the start of Sochi 2014, we are constantly reminded that some of the most inspirational stories are not about medals, but about how athletes must overcome incredible obstacles on their journey to the Olympic Games,” said Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, IT & Mobile Division at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is proud to join the community of supporters from around the world who have come together to support the Jamaican bobsleigh team.” Jamaican Bobsleigh Team “Keep on Pushing” VIDEO Like many around the world, Samsung was […]
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The Jamaican bobsled team’s improbable journey to the 1988 Calgary Games became a staple of pop culture and Olympic folklore. [hr] [column2] [/column2] [column2_last] [/column2_last] [hr] Jamaican Bobsleigh Team Debut At Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics At the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics Jamaica sent an unexpected team to compete in the bobsleigh event. Though their participation did not end in medal glory, the team won the hearts of their fans and competitors, returning to future games as equals. The Jamaican athletes were – nonetheless – determined to excel at the Games and had their fastest start so far in their final run. However, during the run, the sled crashed in one of the turns which took away the teams possibility of an officially recorded time.
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MEDIA ALERT JAMAICAN BOBSLEIGH FEDERATION STATEMENT ON THE QUALIFICATION OF THE 2-MAN BOBSLEIGTH TEAM AND FUNDING EFFORTS WORLDWIDE VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE CLICK TO DOWNLOAD PDF The Jamaica Bobsleigh Federation will host a virtual press conference TODAY at 1pmET. All credentialed media are encouraged to register: Toll-Free Access Number: 800-775-6608 Direct Dial/ International Access Number: 404-920-6655 Participant Code: 5167843# (The Jamaica Bobsleigh Federation Winter Olympics ) Conference Participant: At the specified time, dial the Access Number 800-775-6608. When prompted, enter your Participant Code followed by #. Your Participant Code is 5167843#. Participant Star Commands *4-Volume – Pressing *4 will increase/decrease the volume. *6-Mute – Participants can mute/unmute their own lines by pressing *6. Kingston, Jamaica—-January 21, 2014 —– The Jamaica Bobsleigh Federation, an affiliate member of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (FIBT) and the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), is pleased to confirm the qualification and certification of our 2 Men Bobsleigh team to participate in the Winter Olympic Games to be held in Sochi, Russia from February 7 – 23, 2014. The Federation is grateful for the outpouring of international moral and financial support for the team from the international media and fans around […]
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The Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) a short while ago announced that it had received confirmation that Jamaica has qualified to compete in the 2-man bobsled at next month’s Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The JOA also noted that it will be covering all cost associated with getting the team from its Wyoming, USA training base to the Russian city, while all local expenses will be covered by the Sochi 2014 Local Organising Committee. Jamaica first competed in bobsled at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics – a feat that was later lionized by the Disney film ‘Cool Runnings’. The tropical island nation also competed in the event in 1992, 1994, 1998 and 2002, but missed the last two Winter Olympics. Veteran team captain and driver Winston Watts told The Gleaner in an earlier interview that the team needed significant funding if it was to make the trip, a call that has been answered by the JOA. “The JOA, through its solidarity programme, has given significant financial assistance to the Jamaica Bobsleigh Federation which has been used to enable the team to qualify for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games. All travel costs of the team from Salt Lake City […]
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Just when you thought you have seen the last of Jamaica, Jamaica has made headlines once again. This time in the form of a bobsleigh team that has been qualified for the winter games. If you are thinking this all sounds familiar then you have probably seen or heard of the film COOL RUNNINGS based on Jamaica’s first competing in Olympic bobsledding in 1988 at the Calgary Games, a heartwarming story that inspired the Cool Runnings film. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy After 12 years of absence from the winter Olympics Jamaica’s bobsleigh team has qualified for the 2014 sochi winter Olympics in Russia; exciting stuff for a country that has 80 degrees all year round. The two man bobsleigh team is being piloted by 46 year old Winston watt who is the second oldest man to pilot in Olympic history. Captain Winston watt and teammate Marvin Dixon are set to reheat the winter Olympic games as this generation of cool runners. [hr] [column2] [/column2] [column2_last] [/column2_last] [hr] Similarly to the original film the 2014 Jamaican Bobsleigh Team has met up with their financial accounts as well and are in need of […]
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