Stokes plots for next eight years on the ice
Published:Tuesday | February 22, 2022 | 12:07 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
WITH JAMAICA’S 2022 Winter Olympic adventure completed, Jamaica Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (JBSF) president Nelson ‘Chris’ Stokes said the organisation is moving forward with a programme aimed at making the country a consistent presence for the next eight years.
The Bejing Games finished on Sunday with Jamaica’s participation in the four-man bobsled event, where the team of pilot Shanwayne Stephens, Ashley Watson, Rolando Reid and Matthew Wekpe finished 28th in the field from their three rounds, unable to qualify in the top 20 which would have given them an opportunity for a fourth and final round. Wekpe replaced Nimroy Turgott, who participated in the two-man bob event and suffered a hip injury.
It was the first time in more than 20 years that Jamaica was competing in the four-man event, and although recognising the tough competition they were up against, Stokes praised Stephen’s piloting but pointed to the work that lay ahead if the country was to get back to being among the best starting teams.
“Two things were clear on day two [of the event]. We have a lot of work to do to get back to being one of the fastest starting teams in the world and second Shanwayne has shown his driving skills to be world-class,” Stokes told The Gleaner.
“He does need much better equipment.”
The team had an average start time of five seconds compared to the top three teams in Germany and Canada who had starting times under five seconds.
Still, Jamaica completed an Olympic cycle which saw them participate in three different disciplines (women’s mono bob, two-man and four-man), the most that the country has sent to an Olympic games in its history.
With eyes towards the 2026 games in Italy and beyond, Stokes said the JBSF would focus on expanding and developing their athlete pool to continue the progress that has been made.
“The guys did overall, very well. We were in competitive company,” Stokes said. “We begin now, through a recruiting campaign, to identify and develop (athletes) for the next two Olympic cycles.”
It is a part of the long-term project which Stokes says has been continuous even after their qualification was confirmed, a validation of the efforts to build a sustainable programme.
“We have already identified persons that we feel will qualify in 2026, not that one or two of the guys won’t come back, but you have to create a pipeline of development because it takes a while to get to that elite level in the sport of bobsleigh,” Stokes said.
“This has been encouraging because the system of recruitment, management, the quality of athletes, it shows that approach works and we will double down on it.”