7:06
One of Stephens's teammates, Matthew Wekpe, the team’s brakeman, began training with the bobsled team just one year ago, amid the coronavirus pandemic. He described it as \"amazing\" to now be heading to the Olympics.
\"Shanwayne reached out to the Jamaican 7's [national rugby] team, who I played for as well, and kind of gave me the opportunity and I said, 'Yes,'\" Wekpe said of joining the team. \"And a year later, being able to call myself an Olympian is just an amazing feeling.\"
The Jamaica Olympic Association announced the news of the team's entry in the 2022 Olympics in a Jan. 17 tweet, writing, \"Jamaica, we have a bobsled team heading to Beijing.\"
BREAKING:
— Team Jamaica (@TeamJA876) January 17, 2022
JAMAICA, WE HAVE A BOBSLED TEAM HEADING TO BEIJING! 📣
It will be fire on ice as #TeamJamaica 🇯🇲 secured their spot at the 2022 Beijing #WinterOlympics. This will be the 1st time JAM has qualified in 3 Olympic bobsled events: four-man, two-man and women’s monobob pic.twitter.com/hRd5h7lDlG
The Opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics is set for Friday, Feb. 4.
Though it will be a scaled-down Olympics due to the coronavirus pandemic, with no public tickets sold for events, it will mark a triumphant return for Jamaica's bobsled team.
![\"VIDEO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Sports/220121_abcnl_update_11am_bobsled_hpMain_4x3_384.jpg\")
The last time a four-man bobsled team from Jamaica competed at the Olympics was 24 years ago, at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, according to NBC News.
The 1988 Olympics team did not medal, thanks to a crash on the ice, but their improbable Olympics run was made into the 1993 Disney movie \"Cool Runnings.\"
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/GMA/jamaican-bobsled-04-gty-jt-220117_1642453492269_hpEmbed_3x2_384.jpg\")
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/GMA/jamaican-bobsled-olympics-03-gty-jt-220117_1642453661230_hpEmbed_8x11_384.jpg\")
Jamaica is also making history in Beijing with its skiing team.
BREAKING: Benjamin Alexander 🇯🇲 made history by becoming the first Jamaican skier to qualify for the #WinterOlympics in giant slalom (alpine skiing) under the B criteria. #TeamJamaica #GuhHaadAndDone
— Team Jamaica (@TeamJA876) January 15, 2022
(📸 Kristina Brik) pic.twitter.com/2gOrB3Yrhj
Benjamin Alexander is only the second Jamaican in history to compete at the Winter Olympics, and the first in Alpine skiing, according to the Jamaica Olympic Association.
Disney is the parent company of ABC News.
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