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COOLEST RUNNINGS: Jamaica's 2022 bobsled squad hopes to be nation's BEST ever at Winter Olympics

The Jamaican bobsled squad will compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics for the first time in all three Olympic bobsled events after nearly 20 years

The Jamaican bobsled squad will compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics for the first time in all three Olympic bobsled events after nearly 20 years. The legendary film 'Cool Runnings' was inspired by the 1988 Jamaican squad, which was the country's first qualifying team. Jamaica has competed in the two-person bobsled race for several Olympic Games, but the last time they qualified for the four-man event was in 1998. It was in Nagano, Japan, in 1998, and they got 21st position. The team's best finish was 14th in the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.

This year, Shanwayne Stephens will lead both the four-man and two-man competitions. The team is consists of Devon Harris, Dudley Stokes, Michael White, Nelson Stokes, Matthew Wekpe, Nimroy Turgott, and Shanwayne Stephens. Jamaica will also be competing in three Olympic bobsled events for the first time - four-man, two-man, and one-woman mono bob. For the first time, Jamaica has qualified for Alpine skiing, a tournament in which flag-bearer DJ Benjamin Alexander will compete for a medal this year.

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The bobsled team resorted to Twitter to express their joy for the first day of the Games, releasing a fun dance video. Nimroy Turgott remarked, “We're the fire and ice because we are from a tropical island with sunny temperatures, so we're going to the Olympics to melt the place!" Watson said, "This would be a good benchmark to beat to become the best team in Jamaican history," adding, "There is no point entering a competition without thinking you can get a medal." Stephens said, “We're more than just a movie. We want to show we're actually fierce competitors and we're out there to put on a really good performance at the Games," BBC reports. 

Fans are also enthused about squad Jamaica's comeback, and many on social media have shown their support for the famed underdog team. This time, the beloved squad is aiming to become the best Jamaican bobsled team in history by bettering Jamaica's highest finish from 1994, which was 14th. The Olympic Games in Beijing are taking place barely six months after the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games were postponed. The opening ceremony set the tone for a restrictively joyous festival, as COVID-19 standards remain in force. Bobsledding starts on February 10 and ends on February 20 with a medal ceremony for the four-man team.