Bobsleigh team celebrates Trinidad and Tobago's best-ever performance at Winter Olympics

TEAM Trinidad and Tobago Olympic's bobsleigh trio of Axel Brown, Shakeel John and Andre Marcano celebrated this country's best ever showing at a Winter Olympics on Tuesday when they finished 28th overall in the two-man event.

Brown, the team pilot, alongside John and Marcano, both of whom shared the role of brakeman, led Trinidad and Tobago to their best finish after competing in three previous editions (1994-2002), when the country also challenged the two-man bobsleigh events.

At the Yanqing National Sliding Centre, Brown and John teamed up for TTO's third race, and clocked one minute, 0.86 seconds, for a combined time of 3:02.56. After three races, only the top 20 teams would challenge a fourth race to determine the medal winners.

Brown, 29, whose mother is from Trinidad, was born and raised in the UK, and is the team's only representative with experience in the sport.

"It's been incredible," Brown told Newsday.

"I'm so proud of what we were able to accomplish, in so many ways, (especially) if you take the fact we were only formed six months ago (and) that I'm the most novice pilot in the field by a minimum of two years, and up to 14 years."

He praised Marcano and John, the latter of whom stepped up to the plate after Marcano withdrew after sustaining a knee injury during Monday's opening two races.

John, 22, replaced the original reserve brakeman, Mikel Thomas, less than two weeks before the start of competition.

"(I'm especially proud since) André never went in a sled before the Olympics (and that) Shak is the youngest sliding sport Olympian (at the 2022 games)... Let alone the fact we were giving the likes of USA and Russia a run for their money.

"It's all so improbable, and yet we did it," Brown said.

"This was just an idea only eight months ago, yet I've managed to bring it to life and put us on the map in such an unlikely sport. I couldn't be happier."

Marcano, 35, is a retired national sprinter who now works as a physical education teacher in the United States. He served as flag-bearer for TTO during the opening ceremony on February 4.

John is an active sprinter.

Both first got the feel of the 375-plus-pound bobsleigh within two weeks of TTO's first race.

Brown and Marcano ended the first race in 28th spot after clocking 1:01.11 before moving up one spot with an effort of 1:00.89 in the second. The third race saw them move one spot down but still well ahead of Brazil and Jamaica, which finished, 29th and 30th, respectively.

Germany obliterated its competition after four races, with its three representative teams, winning gold in 3:56.89, silver (3:57.38) and bronze (3:58.58). Francesco Friedrich successfully defended his and Germany's gold medal in the process. It is the first time any country has taken all three medals in a single bobsleigh event at the Winter Olympics.

TTO last competed Winter Olympic Games at the 2002 edition in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was represented by Gregory Sun, Canada-born Andrew McNeilly and Errol Aguilera, a former TT sprinter. They finished 37th and last in the two-man bobsleigh.

Sun, alongside Curtis Harry, also competed in 1994 and 1998 games, where the pair placed 37th out of 42 finishers, and 32nd out of 36 teams, respectively.