In 1988, four black guys who had never seen snow formed Jamaica's first bobsleigh team. No one expected that they not only walked into the Winter Olympic games, but also reached the final. Only at the last minute, the sleigh overturned! But in the audience, there was thunderous applause!
These 4 young men originally practiced sprinting, and their dream was to represent their country in the Olympic Games. However, there were too many Jamaican sprinters, and they were eliminated in the preliminaries. All 4 were frustrated.
At this time, one of the boys, by chance, saw a picture on the wall, learned that an American had studied sprinters and done the theory of pushing sleds, so he suddenly wanted to form a bobsleigh team. Although at the time he didn't even know what a "sled" was.
The other 3 guys, out of righteousness and curiosity, joined the gang one after another. After the people gathered, they invited Americans who had participated in the World Championships as coaches.
Anyone who has studied geography knows that Jamaica is a tropical country located in the Caribbean, with a year-round temperature of 30 degrees. People who live here will never see snow for the rest of their lives if they don't go abroad. So, how to train?
They first modified themselves with carts, using the turf as a track, practicing sliding on sand slopes. To adapt to the cold of the snow and ice, they also shut themselves in a large refrigerator.
Before the Winter Olympics, they raised enough money to get to Calgary through street art, and then bought a used sled. When the 4 people appeared on the field of the Winter Olympics, they saw the real ice and snow track for the first time, only to find that it was completely different from what they imagined.
But they were not intimidated by the difficulties, because they were sprinters, they were explosive, flexible, physically strong, fast, bold, with these qualities, through just ten days of pre-competition training, 4 people actually broke into the final without suspense.
You know, this team was formed less than a year ago, with no experience and lack of equipment, but they still broke the stereotypes and realized their dream of representing the country in the Olympic Games. It was Jamaica's first appearance at the Winter Olympics.
Before the start of the race, the side of the track was crowded with spectators, and the four players were ready and pushed the sled hard. The Jamaican team's sleighs sped down the track, and the audience was also infected by their speed and spirit.
The first event was the doubles, the Jamaican duo, which finished 30th out of 41 pairs. By the time of the four-man race, the sleigh was getting faster and faster, but when it was almost time to finish, an accident occurred.
The aging second-hand sled, because it could not withstand the impact of the high-speed gallop, at a turn in the third round, a part fell off, and the sled lost control and overturned. The player's head scraped against the ice wall, which was good to be protected by a helmet. After the four runners got up, they carried the sleigh to the finish line.
The Jamaican bobsleigh team, although the results were not ideal, became the most dazzling presence in the whole field at that time. All the spectators present gave the warmest applause and the highest respect to this team that represents the spirit of sportsmanship.
In 1993, Disney adapted the movie "Light On Ice" based on the story of the Jamaican bobsleigh team participating in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.
The team later competed in three Winter Olympics in 1994, 1998 and 2002.
In 1994, the new team member Watts and his teammates ranked 14th in the 30 groups of players in the four-a-side competition, setting a record for Jamaica's best participation in the Winter Olympics.
At the 2002 Winter Olympics, Watts finished 28th out of 37 pairs in doubles, but set an Olympic record for the shortest departure time. After that, jamaican team failed to qualify for two consecutive Winter Olympic Games.
In 2014, Watts and his teammates finally qualified for the Sochi Winter Olympics again, but because of their shyness, they could not even pay for the road. At the critical moment, a company raised $80,000 for them and helped them come to Sochi.
However, when the funds were raised, they missed the flight to Russia and missed the opportunity to train at the Olympic stadium. Despite this, Watts, 46, is still the focus of media attention.
In the second round of the Sochi Winter Olympics, Watts hat tongue was damaged, but he insisted on completing the game, ranking at the bottom of the 30th place. However, for the Jamaican bobsleigh team, they were defeated. Even The Flyer Bolt said, "I've always loved the Jamaican Snow Team!"
Looking back on the hardships along the way, Watts said: "We have dominated the field of the Summer Olympics, and now that we have qualified for the Winter Olympics, this is a new world for Jamaica." ”
Now, more than 10 years later, they have their own sled and no longer rely on raising money to participate in the Winter Olympics.
The Olympic spirit of Jamaicans allows us to see that as long as we are brave enough to pursue our dreams, even a tropical country can still enter the field of the Winter Olympics. Finally, look forward to seeing Jamaican athletes at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics! #冬奥冷门知识有多冷 #
