US Edition
Bobsleigh-Jamaica Seek Sliding Success to Replace 'Cool Runnings' Past
Shane Pitter uses spear fishing strength to lead Jamaica's developing bobsled team, which won 10 medals this season on the North American Cup circuit, officials said.
- On Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, Shane Pitter, 26-year-old fisherman and bobsled pilot, competed in two-man runs with Junior Harris at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
- The Jamaica program, now in its ninth Olympic bobsled appearance since Calgary 1988, remains in development as athletes face frequent questions about the 'Cool Runnings' legacy.
- This season Pitter earned 10 medals on the North American Cup circuit, with eight golds on Lake Placid, and says spear fishing boosts his bobsled start strength.
- After Monday's heats, Pitter and Harris ranked 23rd out of 26 sleds, with Olympic medals remaining a distant objective as the race concludes on Tuesday.
- Despite the optimism, the Jamaica Bobsled Federation aims for 2030 Olympics support, but funding remains a major obstacle, with athletes like Mica Moore spending over 40,000 pounds this season.
47 Articles
47 Articles
LA Daily News
A fisherman is Jamaica’s new bobsled pilot. He wants to make the team known beyond ‘Cool Runnings’
By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports Writer CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Monday would have been a fantastic day for fishing in Jamaica. The weather was just about perfect with bright sunshine, forecasters calling for temperatures in the low-to-mid 80s, somewhat calm breezes. Under normal circumstances, Shane Pitter probably would have been on the water. He was on frozen water instead at the Milan Cortina Games. Jamaica’s next chapter of bobsled history…
Bobsleigh-Jamaica seek sliding success to replace 'Cool Runnings' past
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.
No snow, no ice, not even a bobsled rink. Shane Pitter also doesn't know the movie "Cool Runnings". The ignorance doesn't stop the young Jamaican from trying himself as a bobsled driver. A daring attempt to take him to the Olympics.
In 1988 a film-ready Olympic story was written. Today for Jamaica as a Bob nation is not everything.
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