Runnings not so cool

AFTER SUCCESSFULLY completing the first set of Olympic qualifying races, strength and push coach of the Jamaican bobsleigh team, Wayne Thomas, says though he has high hopes for the men’s and women’s teams to qualify for the Winter Olympics, poor equipment is affecting their performances.

Thomas said because the teams do not have the standard of equipment that they would need to perform at their best, their displays vary.

“We had mixed results, we had good days and bad days,” Thomas said.

He said the team would love to have the best equipment the sport has to offer, but these are expensive and the team suffers from a lack of funding.

“For our four-man sled that we would like to have a new one of, we are looking at about a 100- to 120-thousand euros, for a good two-man sled we are looking at about 60- to 80-thousand euros, also runners that can cost up to 25 thousand euros per set,” said Thomas.

“Most of the stuff (equipment) that are related to bobsled are quoted in euros because most of them come out of Germany, and so funding is one of our major hindrances.”

Thomas said despite being unable to afford these, the team continues to try to perform at their best.

“They are good at teamwork, so that helps to create good results,” he said.

Thomas pointed out that the women have been the better performers at the recent meet.

“The girls are doing much better than the guys,” he said. “We have Jazmine (Fenlator-Victorian) who medalled in two of her races, she medalled in a monobob race and also a two-woman race, coming third (with Audrey Segree).”

He said if the women remain consistent with their third- and fourth-place finishes, they should be well on their way to the Olympics.

Thomas said the men would need to perform better to remain competitive in vying for a spot at the Olympics.

“The guys, on the other hand, for the four-man we need to get better results in the five races that we have left, which would make it easier for them. But as I said, part of the downfall for the guys is the equipment and if we get better equipment it would make it easier,” said Thomas.

STRONG CHEMISTRY

Brakeman Nimroy Turgott agreed that the team had a strong chemistry, but the current equipment continues to affect their performances.

Turgott said it took a lot of work, focus and sacrifice for the team to be where they are now, and for them to reach the Winter Olympics, they have to remain goal-oriented.

“I think we just need to be focused as a team, stay healthy and take it one race at a time and we will make it to the Olympic Games,” Turgott said.

The first set of Olympic qualifying races were done in Whistler, Canada, for the North American Cup.

According to the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, after competing in Canada the Jamaican two-man team is currently ranked at 13th, the four-man team is ranked at seventh and the two-woman team is ranked third.

The team is now in Park City, Utah, and will later move to Lake Placid in New York. But based on points with where the teams are, Thomas said they might have to go to Europe to do another set of races to get better results to secure their spot in the Olympics.

If the Jamaican bobsled teams qualify for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, the nation would be competing in its seventh Games.