Winter Olympics 2014: Jamaica all set for Cool Runnings II as bob team qualifies

 

Sophie Masters
Monday 20 January 2014 00:52 GMT
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Elise Christie raises her arms in triumph after winning the European 1,000m final
Elise Christie raises her arms in triumph after winning the European 1,000m final

It’s the story that spawned a Disney movie and, 26 years after Jamaica’s bobsleigh team appeared for the first time at the Calgary Olympics, we may finally be set for a sequel.

Despite struggling for funding, Winston Watts and Marvin Dixon have secured their place in Sochi next month in the two-man event, with Jamaica’s official Twitter account paying homage to their Cool Runnings predecessors by posting the message: “Jamaica, we have a...”, a modified version of the film’s tagline. It was later deleted.

Watts, 46, came out of retirement to attempt to quaify and is now looking for donations to raise $80,000 (£50,000) to help him realise his dream of competing in a fourth Olympic Games.

Their British counterparts in the four-man event will have two teams competing after a last-gasp effort in Austria yesterday saw former Olympic sprinter Craig Pickering and his team squeeze through.

Elsewhere, Chemmy Alcott’s hopes of reaching a fourth Winter Olympics hang in the balance after bad weather forced her comeback race to be cancelled. Alcott returned to training only last month after recovering from a broken leg and was asked to prove her fitness by this weekend before the British team is named on Wednesday.

Short-track skater Elise Christie had a better weekend, winning the European 1,000m title to confirm her status as a medal contender in Sochi.

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