The events of 1988, when a Jamaican bobsled team became the first in the country’s history to qualify for the Winter Olympics, served as the basis for the 1993 film Cool Runnings.
In light of the recent news that a four-man Jamaican bobsled team has qualified for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics for the first time in 24 years (after stealing the final spot in the 28-sled field), many people will be thinking back on the country’s previous heroics at the event and how the film Cool Runnings has become one of the most iconic sports films of recent years.
It’s only a little over a week until the Jamaican bobsled team returns to the ice, so it won’t be long before fans all over the world start chanting, “Feel the rhythm!” Enjoy the Rhythm! It’s bobsled time, so hurry up and get ready.
Jamaica, we have a bobsled team! was the tweet that broke the news.
While the 1988 film Cool Runnings was based on a true story, the film version was largely inaccurate, yet it was nonetheless a huge hit and a hilarious tribute to the four men who made it to Calgary.
Where Does Cool Runnings Go From There?
The plot opens with Deric Bannock, a sprinter from Jamaica, preparing for the 100-meter dash in the hopes of qualifying for the Summer Olympics in 1988.
Junior Bevil, Bannock, and Yul Brenner are all knocked to the ground as their fellow runner, Junior Bevil, stumbles.
Bannock decides to start his bobsled team after seeing a picture of disgraced bobsled medalist Irving Blitzer, who was disqualified for cheating in the 1972 Winter Olympics. He hopes to compete in the 1988 Winter Olympics. Check Is Tar A True Story: Here Is Everything About Tar
The Jamaicans face numerous obstacles to Calgary, such as getting athletes to band together and convincing Blitzer to coach the guys.
First disqualified by the Olympic committee as retaliation for Blitzer’s cheating incident, the Jamaicans are reinstated after Blitzer’s pleas.
On day one, the four men came in dead last, but after being urged to “bobsled Jamaican,” they improved dramatically and placed ninth the next day.
As the final race approaches, one of the bobsled’s blades breaks off, causing the vehicle to flip over.
Determination pays off as the four men pick up their “cool runnings” bobsled and carry it across the finish line, garnering the respect of the other teams and the applause of the spectators.
The story concludes with an epilogue that explains how the Jamaican squad went from zero to heroes by the time they returned to the 1992 Winter Olympics.
Is Cool Runnings A True Story?
The movie Cool Runnings is only tangentially based on actual events at the 1988 Summer Olympics. There are no real people depicted in this movie; they are all fictitious. For the film to function as its entity, the identities of the people on the squad have been changed, and certain events have also been rewritten. Check Do We Know If The Exchange Netflix Is Based On A True Story?
The movie depicts the narrative of the Jamaican national team’s efforts to compete in the bobsled event and their final victory. The film starts with Derice competing in a 100-meter dash and trying to make the qualifying cut.
After some time, he participates in the bobsled competition by putting up a team. The teams engage in various jobs to earn enough money to compete in the Olympics. Dudley Stokes, Devon Harris, Casewell Allen, and Michael White were the founding members of the bobsled team.
What Is The Story In 2022?
Matthew Wekpe, Nimroy turgott, and Lance Corporal Shanwayne Stephens currently make up the bobsled team’s current four-man lineup.
For the first time, the Caribbean nation will have Olympic bobsled competitors in all three men’s and women’s sled categories.
Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian will compete in the women’s monobob at the Olympics for the second time.
On January 19, 2022, the team will participate in the bobsled competition.
