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Jamaican Fisherman Becomes New Bobsled Pilot
Shane Pitter, a 26-year-old fisherman, is leading Jamaica's next generation of bobsled athletes at the Milan Cortina Games.
Feb. 18, 2026 at 11:55am
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Under normal circumstances, Shane Pitter would have been out fishing in Jamaica, but instead he found himself on the frozen tracks of the Milan Cortina Games as Jamaica's new bobsled pilot. Pitter, a 26-year-old fisherman, has gained notoriety for his fishing videos and has now discovered a talent for bobsledding, helping to write the next chapter of Jamaica's bobsled history.
Why it matters
Jamaica's bobsled team has long been a feel-good story at the Winter Olympics, inspiring the classic film 'Cool Runnings.' While Jamaica has never finished better than 14th in an Olympic bobsled race, Pitter's emergence as a promising young pilot offers hope that the team can one day compete for medals and be celebrated for more than just their underdog status.
The details
Pitter, whose 'real job' is being a fisherman, has gained quite a bit of notoriety for making videos about his fishing exploits. However, he and Jamaica somehow discovered that he has tons of promise as a bobsled pilot as well. Pitter and his brakeman, Junior Harris, were 23rd out of 26 sleds in the first two heats of Monday's two-man race, which will conclude on Tuesday. Mica Moore, a one-time bobsledder for Britain, was 15th going into the final two heats of the women's monobob event on Monday night.
- Monday would have been a fantastic day for fishing in Jamaica with bright sunshine and temperatures in the low-to-mid 80s.
- The Milan Cortina Games are the ninth Olympics with Jamaica competing in the bobsled events, a stretch that started at Calgary in 1988.
The players
Shane Pitter
A 26-year-old Jamaican fisherman who has gained notoriety for making fishing videos and has now discovered a talent for bobsledding, leading Jamaica's next generation of bobsled athletes.
Junior Harris
The brakeman for Jamaica's two-man bobsled team alongside Shane Pitter.
Mica Moore
A one-time bobsledder for Britain who is now competing for Jamaica, highlighting the funding challenges the team faces as she spent over $54,500 to fund her Olympic season.
Chris Stokes
The president of the Jamaica bobsled federation, who said earlier this year that Pitter 'might be the best young pilot we've had.'
Snoop Dogg
The American rapper and Olympic ambassador for NBC and Team USA, who spent time with the Jamaican bobsled team, partially when the cameras were not running, to offer support and encouragement.
What they’re saying
“We've got a lot of young athletes on the team and coming on the team. It's still a development stage. Even though we are young athletes, we are the best athletes Jamaica ever had in bobsled.”
— Shane Pitter
“It's OK for them coming up to me and asking me about 'Cool Runnings' and the history and so forth. It is nice to interact with the fans, you know. And I'm going to give them every minute I have, when I have time, apart from doing the sport. I'm going to always be there to talk to them.”
— Junior Harris, Brakeman
“All I do know about Shane is he just loves driving bobsleds. Like, if we have a day off, he's like, 'I just want to get back on the ice.' I'm like, 'OK, Shane, let's just have a day. We need a day.' He is invested in it. And as long as the program can keep supporting him and he's going to do great.”
— Mica Moore
“Junior cooked for Snoop Dogg and Snoop loved his cooking. He ate the jerk chicken straight down to the bone.”
— Shane Pitter
“For us, this is real life. The movie is somewhat fiction, but this is real, real life. We are the real team.”
— Shane Pitter
What’s next
The two-man bobsled race that Pitter and Harris are competing in will conclude on Tuesday.
The takeaway
Despite the funding challenges and the long history of Jamaica's bobsled team being viewed as an underdog story, the emergence of young talents like Shane Pitter offers hope that the team can one day compete for Olympic medals and be celebrated for their athletic achievements, not just their feel-good narrative.
