‘The journey was never going to be easy’

CARDIFF, Wales (CMC):

In a story of heritage, resilience, and sporting rebirth, former Great Britain bobsleigh star Mica Moore will race onto the Olympic stage next month, wearing the colours of Jamaica.

The 32-year-old from Newport, south Wales, has officially qualified for the Milan-Cortina Winter Games in the women’s monobob event, completing an extraordinary journey back to the Olympics after a six-year absence.

Moore is no stranger to the pinnacle of her sport. At the 2018 PyeongChang Games, she and pilot Mica McNeill secured Britain’s best-ever women’s bobsleigh result with an eighth-place finish. Now, she is set to create history of a different kind.

Having received Jamaican citizenship in December 2024, Moore will honour her family roots at the ultimate sporting festival.

Her grandfather, Venson Byfield, was part of the Windrush generation who settled in Wales.

“I can’t believe it,” Moore declared in an emotional social media post.

“Four years ago, I watched from the sidelines, but four years later, I’ve booked my seat at the party. This is the greatest honour of my career to represent my heritage of Jamaica at the Olympics, a moment I have only dreamt of!”

Her path to these Games has been fraught with challenge. A talented track sprinter who represented Wales at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Moore transitioned to bobsleigh and reached its peak before stepping away from the British programme in 2022.

At the time, she cited “damaging and offensive behaviour” within the system. After a three-year break, the call of the ice and her Jamaican heritage proved irresistible.

She made her competitive return for Jamaica in January 2025 at a European Cup event in Lillehammer, reigniting her Olympic dream.

“The journey was never going to be easy. This is the biggest message to myself to never ever give up. To keep going even when hurting and when others try to halt you.”

Moore’s qualification adds another thrilling chapter to Jamaica’s iconic bobsleigh legacy, immortalised by the film ‘Cool Runnings’.

The Jamaican team will be a strong presence in Milan-Cortina, having also qualified crews for the four-man and two-man events.

The XXV Winter Olympic Games run from Feruary 6-22 in northern Italy.