Jamaican bobsled team wins “historic” gold medal

Jamaica’s bobsled team has won gold in the North American cup, fulfilling the promise of the 1988 Olympic team who inspired the movie Cool Runnings:

Historic WIN 🥇 for Jamaica’s Bobsled Team in Whistler, Canada!

“Shane Pitter drove Jamaica into history, piloting the 4-man bobsled to a groundbreaking gold medal after an electrifying 4.91-second start with brakemen Junior Harris, Andrae Dacres, and Tyquendo Tracey” @JBSFed pic.twitter.com/Uo0FA2P2IH

— Team Jamaica (@TeamJA876) November 25, 2025

Jamaica: Victory at last

Jamaica achieved their historic win at this year’s North American Cup (NAC), which took place in Whistler, Canada. According to the Caribbean National Weekly (CNW), the team achieved a time of 1 minute and 45.88 seconds. The next two fastest teams were Canada and… Canada.

We suspected this was a typo at first, but the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) have confirmed the existence of two different Canadian teams:

We’re not sure why Canada got two teams, but Australia did too. If anything, this makes the situation even more impressive. Jamaica didn’t just win; they did so against two separate teams with a home side advantage.

In a triumphant write-up of the story, CNW wrote:

Jamaica has once again showcased the power of determination, discipline, and raw athletic talent on the global stage. In a historic performance, the Jamaican 4-man bobsled team captured gold at the North America Cup (NAC) in Whistler, Canada, marking the country’s first gold medal at any international bobsleigh race.

#CANADA: Nearly 40 years after the Jamaica bobsleigh team’s first Winter Olympics inspired the film Cool Runnings, it made history again last weekend by capturing its first ever gold medal at an international bobsleigh competition. pic.twitter.com/nv0w5HM3Eh

— CaribbeanNewsNetwork (@caribbeannewsuk) November 26, 2025

Researching this article, we found that the Jamaican women’s team did actually win gold at the World Push Championships. While the World Push events do involve a bobsled, the activity focusses solely on the starting push, as you can see in this video:

Responding to the NAC victory, the Jamaican team’s brakeman Tyquendo Tracey said:

It’s been a long time coming where we just need to put things together the right way and show the world that regardless of the sport, regardless of climate, we can always put forward our best foot

The pilot Shane Pitter, meanwhile, said the victory was ‘especially poignant’ coming after Jamaica was recently rocked by Hurricane Melissa, which was the first Category 5 storm to hit Jamaica in recorded history. He added that he hoped the victory will give the ‘people back home something to cheer for’.

It’s also worth noting Israel finished 6th in the North American Cup — reaffirming its status as the only ‘democracy’ in the Middle East, Europe, and now the Americas.

Featured image via I-ROC-ENT