Nigerian Bobsledders and the Jamaican blazed a trail at Pyeongchang in Winter Olympics

On Tuesday, Bobsledders from Nigeria and Jamaica made history at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. But both teams won new fans around the world.

Nigeria’s Seun Adigun and Akuoma Omeoga became the first bobsled team to represent an African nation in the two-woman bobsleigh event. In another hand, skeleton athlete Simidele Adeagbo also became the first athletes from their country to compete in a winter olympiad.

Thus, Jamaica’s Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian and Carrie Russell became the Caribbean island’s first Olympic female bobsledders — with a tricky week in which their coach, Sandra Kiriasis, resigned putting their competition into jeopardy after she threatened to take the team’s bobsled.

This was a step in the direction of Jamaica’s bobsled team at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada; whose story inspired the movie “Cool Runnings.”

Team USA’s Elana Meyers Taylor and Lauren Gibbs led the two-woman bobsleigh field after the first heat. Jamaica secured joint 17th place out of 20. Nigeria finished last.