As a sprinter, Carrie Russell helped Jamaica win the 4x100m gold medal at the 2013 World Championships.
Now as a bobsledder, she is hoping to become the first woman to push a Jamaican sled at a Winter Games.
The following exchange has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
What is your favorite Jamaican food?
My favorite Jamaica food is coconut curry chicken and rice.
How would Usain Bolt do as a bobsled push athlete?
The reality is that most sprinters have the potential to push a bobsled fast, but the question is where their is strength within their sprinting. My belief is that if you’re an explosive power sprinter, you can become a great bobsled athlete. However, Usain’s strength is speed endurance. So it’s going to be a little difficult for him hit the sled out with a good body position and stay low in the hips and push a sled. But it’s not impossible because he is Usain Bolt, and he is a natural athlete.
How often do you get asked about “Cool Runnings”? What did “Cool Runnings” get right, and what did it get wrong?
The question of me watching “Cool Runnings” is asked in every interview that I have done. For me to actually hear the story from the original members, who are now the management staff for the Jamaica Bobsleigh Federation, whenever they decided to talk about it, I have to laugh at their experience and struggles.
For me, I believe what the “Cool Runnings” filmmakers got right was the personal drive and ambition within each and every one of the athletes to try and dominate the sport after their first Olympics. After the 1988 Calgary Games, they kept improving on their position. They even had some of the fastest push on the top of the hill.
When did you laugh the hardest with Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian?
Jazmine and I always try to have fun when we are sliding. However, we laugh the hardest when we go to other countries and they are teaching us the basic words, and as Jamaicans, we try to find a slang or a word that is close to the actual word so we can remember it….these are the moments when you will see us laughing until tears come to our eyes.
How would you describe your first run down a bobsled track?
My first time on a bobsled track was an experience and more. Firstly, I was told not to go in to the bobsled until Jazmine was seated, so I listened to the instructions…and guess what happened? Jazmine’s leg got stuck in the D-rings so I actually ran into the curve, and this was in Calgary. The next time, at that moment when Jazmine got in, I also got in right behind her. However, the trip felt like a roller coaster with a lot of G-Forces.
