Sport
Jamaican bobsled team ready for Sochi Olympics – dream of having Usain Bolt on board
“But he said once – maybe next time I’ll try myself as a Jamaican bobsled team member. And it would be awesome to have him on my team. It would be a terrific combination of a strong guy like me and the fast guy like him.”
Watts and Dixon finally got on the bobsled track Thursday after being reunited with their lost luggage that had kept them idle since their arrival. But they had to face a fresh challenge before they could start training – needing to dump protein powder out of equipment after it had spilled during the marathon trip to Russia from the United States.
“Excellent, I feel excellent today,” Watts said. “The first run was a little bit shaky as it was a completely new track for us and we had some butterflies but the second race was much, much better.
“We are happy to be back to business. We received our luggage in the night and were ready to practice today. But our stuff in the container was all covered with protein powder. The security service opened our protein pots and just left it opened. I had to clean my helmet all the morning to take the start.”
The 46-year-old Watts said he was delighted to extend his Olympic career into a fourth Games.
“I really enjoy my Olympic experience. It’s just awesome. I have been away from the Olympics for 12 years (since Salt Lake in 2002) and there’s no words to explain how I feel right now being here,” he said.
Other bobsled teams in Sochi said the presence of the Jamaicans could only be good for the sport. “I know those guys, they did work hard and it’s not easy to qualify for the Games. I mean they tried in 2006 and they missed, they tried in 2010 and they missed. They tried again and they made it and it is good for the sport to have that exposure,” said US competitor Steven Holcomb.
