Are you following the Winter Olympics? If you are, 2 things are already a legend : the Stray Dogs of Sochi and Jamaica Bobsleigh Team.
Defending champions Germany and the United States teams are favorites in the Olympic two-man bobsleigh, but it’s rag-to-riches Jamaica, powered to Sochi by a global fundraising campaign, who will capture the imagination and enter in the legend!
After their equipment was delayed in arriving to the Sochi Games, driver Winston Watts and his teammates got in their first two runs down the Sanki Sliding Center track on Thursday.
The Jamaicans, who qualified for the first time since 2002, couldn’t train Wednesday because they arrived ahead of their luggage, which was on a later flight to Russia.
“COOL RUNNINGS” TRAILER
However, the German team and the American team will be outshone by 46-year-old Winston Watts, back at the Games after a 12-year absence, and brakeman Marvin Dixon, the Jamaican duo seeking to summon the spirit that inspired “Cool Runnings”, the Hollywood movie based on the exploits of their ground-breaking predecessors from the 1988 Calgary Games.
Based on a true story, this is the comedic saga of four Jamaican athletes going to extremes to compete as bobsled racers at the Winter Olympics. Watch the full movie on Apple TV clicking on the banner on this page.
The team needed an Internet campaign to help raise the initial funds to finance their trip to Russia, which produced about $80,000, with more cash flowing in from sponsors and their federation.
The campaign had such success that Watts and Dixon had to plead with their fans to stop sending money, fearing they would be damned as greedy opportunists if they didn’t call a halt.
True to their roller-coaster build-up toSochi, the Jamaican duo then arrived without their luggage and equipment, lost in transit between New York’s JFK and the host city. Beside the luggage adventure, Watts said he was delighted to extend his Olympic career into a fourth Games.
“I really enjoy my Olympic experience. It’s just awesome. I’ve been away from the Olympics for 12 years (since Salt Lake in 2002) and there’s no words to explain how I feel right now being here,” he said.
Other bobsleigh teams in Sochi said the presence of the Jamaicans could only be good for the sport.
“I know those guys, they did work hard and it’s not easy to qualify for the Games,” said Holcomb.“I mean they tried in 2006 and they missed, they tried in 2010 and they missed. They tried again and they made it and it is good (for the sport) to have that exposure.”
