From 100m Record to Jamaican Bobsleigh: The Joel Fearon Story

“I don’t know if I ever believed I was capable of doing something like that,” he told a local BBC radio station.

He added, “It felt like a dream for a long time, because I wasn’t one of the star British sprinters.”

“But I was there, running under 10 seconds, topping the rankings in the country, and I remember thinking at that moment that anything was possible.”

No British athlete had ever run faster on UK soil, clocking a time of 9.96 seconds to win the English Athletics Championships in Bedford that day.

But sprinting was only part of Fearon’s story; born in Coventry, he juggled function and training in bobsleigh to craft ends meet.

“I worked various jobs, even delivering pizzas for a although,” he recalled.

“I’d be competing in Diamond League races during the day… in the evening, I’d be out delivering pizzas in my area, or any job I needed to do.”

Athletics was Fearon’s first sporting passion, but his bobsleigh career has been unique, representing Great Britain, Switzerland, and Jamaica over 15 years.

He wasn’t awarded the bronze medal from the 2014 Sochi Olympics until five years later due to retroactive doping sanctions.

His coach initially suggested the sport to him, partly to support his family. “I was struggling financially, and I did a few trials,” he explained.

“The transition was tough, it involves a lot of weightlifting, you’re a mechanic, and you spend long hours in extremely cold conditions.”

“If I hadn’t endured those tough days, I wouldn’t have known what the future held,” he affirmed.

Fearon and his team finished fifth in the four-man bobsleigh event in Sochi, but he wouldn’t change a thing if he could go back.

“We knew we had the ability. Not winning a medal just made me more determined,” he said.

“I immediately joined a relay camp. I didn’t really process it, I didn’t enjoy it.”

“If I’d won that medal, I wouldn’t have run under 10 seconds. I wouldn’t have had the same drive.”

At the time, Fearon was on a year-long loan to the Swiss bobsleigh team, with whom he won another bronze medal at the European Cup.

“They actually bought me,” he recalled. “They needed experienced athletes for one of their up-and-coming sliders, Timo Roerner.”

“We were the first Swiss team that year. Timo Roerner was with me at the Olympics in Milan-Cortina, which is great because it’s his first Olympics, and I played a small part in his journey.”

Like many athletes, Fearon’s career has been impacted by painful injuries at critical moments.

He is currently undergoing wire stabilization in his lower leg after a serious injury sustained while competing in a relay race with the British team.

“After that, I retired from athletics somewhat. I was doing some things, but it wasn’t the same,” Fearon said.

“It affected my career a lot, it took me two full years to recover.”

As his pain gradually subsided with his recovery, a devastating loss struck his family in 2023 when his sister, Natasha Murray, was killed.

Fearon felt fear and suffered from insomnia, and retired from the sport altogether.

“It was very difficult for all of us. We’re all still dealing with it in our own ways,” he said. “I didn’t reckon I’d ever be able to compete again. I struggled with a lot of anxiety,” and added, “I was afraid of leaving my family alone.”

Coming out of retirement to represent Jamaica has given him a new focus and brought joy to his grieving family.

He didn’t necessarily expect to be pushing a bobsleigh at another Winter Olympics, however.

Fearon, who met rapper Snoop Dogg during training in Italy, said, “I’m an athlete and a coach, so I’m capable of doing all the tasks in bobsleigh, even the organizational ones.”

He added, “But we ended up pushing the sled. I did six races and won them all, so I’m a great omen.”

“I think they’re going to ask me to push the sled a few more times before I retire,” he joked.

Fearon’s father is of Jamaican descent, and his maternal grandparents are also from the Caribbean island.

“My dad was very proud. I’ve never seen him so excited about sports,” Fearon said.

“A year ago, I didn’t know these guys I’m pushing with, and now they’re all like my brothers. I’m more excited to watch them race than I am to race myself.”

“Maybe I’m playing a fatherly role… seeing this amazing progress is very exciting for me, and I wonder where they’ll go.”

Combining athletics and bobsleigh isn’t new for Fearon.

Fearon isn’t alone, as former British sprinter and bobsleigh athlete Mica Moore is also part of the Jamaican team in Milan Cortina.

Four years ago, Montell Douglas became the first British athlete to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympics, while this year’s team includes international track and field athletes Adele Nicols and Ashley Nelson.

All possess incredible strength and speed in the initial acceleration phase, where efficient sled-pushing is crucial.

But perhaps most exciting for Fearon is the connection to the iconic 1993 film “Cool Runnings,” which tells the story of the Jamaican bobsleigh team.

“I loved that movie, because I watched it when I was 10,” Fearon recalled.

“I didn’t know anything about it. It never occurred to me that I would ever be involved in bobsleigh, let alone Jamaican bobsleigh.”

“Now I’m in the movie, it’s a different thing.”

“We’re the most famous team in the world, so we have to go out there and fly our flag high.”