- Jamaica's bobsled team trains in Italy for the 2034 Winter Games in Utah.
- Shane Pitter, a former fisherman, believes swimming strengthens his bobsledding skills.
- Tyquendo Tracy sees team growth, predicting future success in upcoming competitions.
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy – They know they're the underdogs. They know the road ahead is long. But with three sleds, women's monobob, two‑man and four‑man, Jamaica's bobsled athletes say they're determined to push toward the podium at the 2034 Winter Games in Utah.
These are the stories you might only expect from this team, unlikely backgrounds and a shared belief that their differences are their strength.
Shane Pitter, the pilot of the two- and four-man sleds, used to be a fisherman. He said his years in the water gave him a competitive edge.
"A lot of people don't know. Swimming helps to strengthen the small muscles. So as slim as I am, (I am) very strong on the inside with the muscles that I have," Pitter said.
Tyquendo Tracy, a member of the four‑man team, says the growth he's seen in just one year gives him confidence that the team will make it far.
"I feel like the team is getting there. I've seen in a year how much this team has grown in a year," said Tracy. "So in four, five, six, eight years, a lot of these men and women will be unstoppable."
Pitter said that joining the team on a whim was the best decision he ever made.
"I was like, at a track meet, and the guy that participated in the 2022 Games asked if I wanted to join," said Pitter. "So I told him, what is bobsleigh? And he said, a little tiny iron box that you push down the track and jump in, but you have to push it fast."
Now competing in Italy against teams with far more experience, they say their belief in each other is their fuel.
One day, when (Pitter) releases his biography, people read it. It's going to inspire millions because his story, and even most of our stories, is not the typical thing you see anywhere in sport," Tracey said.
And they're not afraid to lean in to what makes them unique.
"I'm not only here to represent, but as you may know, I'm a fisherman, so I'm here to reel in a few of these guys in this competition. So that's my goal," Pitter said.
