‘Cool Runnings’ revisited as Jamaican women qualify in bobsled

Local media citing the Jamaica Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation said the women’s team sealed qualification over the weekend.

The three-member team comprises Carrie Russell, Audra Segree and pilot Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian.

Fenlator-Victorian, who has dual citizenship in the United States and Jamaica, represented the United States at the 2014 Sochi Olympics before switching back to compete for Jamaica.

Russell, 27, was a member of the Jamaican women’s 4x100m relay team which won gold at the 2013 World Athletics Championships in Moscow.

A team of Jamaican bobsledders first gained fame in 1988 when they made their Olympic debut in Calgary, becoming a popular underdog story of the games.

The team’s exploits provided the inspiration for the 1993 movie “Cool Runnings.”

In comments to US broadcaster NBC last November, Fenlator-Victorian said the Jamaican squad was made up of “experienced, world-class, elite athletes.”

“Although my brakewomen may have limited experience in bobsleigh, [they] are some of the most elite with training, physical ability and mental toughness,” Fenlator-Victorian was quoted as saying.