Adana Johnson set for bright future in winter sports
Published:Friday | January 26, 2024 | 12:08 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
President of the Jamaica Bobsleigh Federation (JBF) Nelson ‘Chris’ Stokes believes the physical abilities of Jamaica Youth Winter Olympics representative Adana Johnson helped her to compete well with her more experienced competitors, despite her limited time in the sport.
Johnson’s journey from gymnast to bobsleigher has been nothing short of remarkable, as the 16 year-old only started the sport in November 2022 before embarking on a quest to complete eight races in a year to seal her qualification to Gangwon, South Korea.
Johnson competed in the monobob event and finished 11th in both her heats, with times of 58.12 and 1.56.29.
Nevertheless, Stokes pointed out that, even though the gap in driving skills between Johnson and her opponents is huge, he believes her physical attributes helped reduce that margin.
“We know that she has the physical ability to compete at the elite level, and she competed well under stress and is consistent.
“These characteristics are only evident in the pressure of competition, and she has showed herself to be ready for the next level,” Stokes said.
“But, given her focus on her studies, she did exceptionally well against athletes who have had far more ice time and races.”
Adana’s father, Triston Johnson, disclosed that his daughter relishes physical activities and he believes the self-discipline she developed while she was a gymnast gave her the foundation to do well in this new endeavour.
“She wanted to leave gymnastics, and started doing crossfit instead. Whenever she wasn’t doing that (bobsleigh training), she would be in the gym doing crossfit.
“Crossfit is a mixture of athletic abilities, weightlifting, gymnastics moves, running and strength training, rope climbing, pull-ups and push-ups.
“Weightlifting was a bit difficult for her initially but she has caught on. The other things like rope climbing and running, any physical activity, she really enjoys doing those things,” he said.
“Gymnastics also created a level of discipline because of the technicality involved, and that discipline carried her through.
“She takes instruction well and executes what they ask of her, and that is helping to push her forward.”
Stokes is also convinced that the young Olympian has a bright future, and revealed that plans are afoot to keep her on a developmental programme after she completes her exams in June.
“She has been a joy to work with. What she has been able to do, balancing training and studying, has been exceptional.
“She had the third-fastest start time and, combined with her rapid progress as a driver despite limited travel time, is a sign that she has a very bright future in the sport.
“Post CSEC, we are planning on focusing on her development as a pilot leading up to the 2026 Winter Games, as a scholarship athlete in Korea’s New Horizons athlete development programme,” he disclosed.
Her dad, who has witnessed her transition and growth in the sport, admits he is proud of what she has achieved in such a short time.
He noted that she has enjoyed the experience from the outset, and jumped at the opportunity to try and qualify for the Youth Winter Olympics.
“They saw potential from the first meeting with Dr Stokes, who mentioned that, based on her age, there was a good chance of her making the Youth Olympics..
“To qualify for the Youth Olympics, you need to complete eight races. She went to Pyeonchyang, South Korea, where she started her qualifying races, and came to Lake Placid and did two more races.
“During the third week of October, she went to Norway, did two more races, to take her up to six. Then she went to Pyeongchang where she did the final two races to qualify,” he recalled.
He added that the experience for her has been extraordinary, and believes she has what it takes to make the jump to the Olympic level.
“It is something for her to look forward to, that she can move from Youth Olympics to Winter Olympics, and that’s the goal for her, to take it as far as she can, to take it to the France 2026 Olympics.”
“She is still navigating school but we will look at how we can continue her training after.
“I am happy for what she has achieved. I have seen growth and maturity in her. I am very impressed for her,” Triston Johnson said.