MILANO, Italy — Jamaica’s bobsled athletes delivered historic results at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, seizing the spotlight 38 years after their improbable debut in Calgary. Mica Moore clocked 4:01.31 to claim 14th place in the women’s monobob, the highest finish yet for a Jamaican in the discipline.

The two-man team of Shane Pitter and Junior Harris pushed further, ending 22nd overall with a combined time of 2:49.37. They hit 56.68 seconds in the first run for 22nd, slipped to 56.72 in the second for 23rd, then surged with a 55.97-second third run to 17th. Officials confirmed this topped Jamaica’s previous best of 27th from the 2014 Sochi Games.

Three events mark Jamaica’s widest Olympic bobsled footprint. Alongside Moore’s monobob, Pitter pairs with Nimroy Turgott, Joel Fearon and Junior Harris in two-man. The four-man squad features Pitter, Andrae Dacres, Harris, Tyquendo Tracey and Fearon. That crew races starting February 21.

The buzz echoes the 1988 Calgary Games, where Jamaica’s pioneers inspired the film Cool Runnings. Back then, the two-man team placed 30th. The four-man sled crashed out before the finish.

Celebrities piled on the praise. Snoop Dogg hosted the team for dinner and handed out gold Death Row Records chains, dubbing them part of the “Death Row family.” Formula One star Lewis Hamilton, a longtime fan of the movie, told reporters the squad motivated him as a kid facing doubters.

“Ever since I was a kid, they inspired me,” Hamilton said. “I knew exactly what it felt like to be the odd one who wasn’t taken seriously. They’ve come so far. It’s definitely time people understand this team means business.”

Fans flooded social media. One posted, “Joke or not, but Jamaica is tradition in bobsleigh Olympics. They are on it from Calgary, now they have teams in other disciplines, not only 4 crew.” Another kept it short: “Fire on Ice.” A third tied it to legacy: “Jamaica’s bobsled legacy: cool runnings forever, olympic medals sometimes. both equally legendary.”

Jamaica’s push into winter sports from its tropical roots keeps captivating. The team qualified across monobob, two-man and four-man, a leap from 1988’s lone entries. Track and field powerhouse Usain Bolt once voiced support, but these results stand on their own.

With the four-man event looming, all eyes turn to Pitter’s crew. A medal stays elusive, yet these marks cement Jamaica’s staying power on ice.