The Northampton-born 38-year-old did not try the sport until 2015 but is representing Jamaica at the Beijing Winter Olympics
Whatever the outcome of Sunday morning’s giant slalom race, one record is sure to be set. Jamaica will be represented in Alpine skiing for the first time. Benjamin Alexander, a 38-year-old from Northampton, will be at the starting gate, becoming one of just 15 athletes to represent Jamaica at the Winter Olympics and following in the footsteps of the 1988 bobsleigh team immortalised in the movie Cool Runnings.
Alexander recently told CNN that, when he started to learn to ski, “being the only Black representative in the group, but on top of that being of Jamaican heritage, people kept throwing sideways jokes about Cool Runnings”. Dudley ‘Tal’ Stokes from that famous bobsleigh team is now one of Alexander’s mentors.
