Chris Stokes (bobsledder)
Nelson Christian 'Chris' Stokes has been an active member of the Jamaican Bobsleigh Team since its inception in 1988.[2]
Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Nelson Christian Stokes |
Nationality | Jamaican |
Born | Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica | 12 November 1963
Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 1⁄2 in) |
Weight | 90 kg (200 lb)[1] |
Sport | |
Country | |
Sport | |
Team | Jamaican Bobsleigh |
Achievements and titles | |
Olympic finals | |
Highest world ranking | 14th (1994) |
Stokes was a successful track and field athlete, and after his associate degree from Bronx Community College, he was awarded an athletic scholarship to the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho.[2] After finishing a bachelor's degree in finance (cum laude) at the U of I, he went on to earn an MBA from nearby Washington State University in Pullman and a masters in Banking (with honors) from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C..[3]
While in graduate school at WSU, he tried out for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, and ended up in the Winter Olympics at Calgary.[2]
His day job is as Vice President of Business Development at the Victoria Mutual Building Society. Stokes married Kayon Elizabeth Smith on 18 March 2006.[4]
Olympics
Chris along with his brother Dudley Stokes competed in four separate winter Olympics.[5]
- 1988 – Competed in the Four-man event
- 1992 – 36th place in the Two-man event
- 1992 – 25th place in the Four-man event
- 1994 – 14th place in the Four-man event
- 1998 – 21st place in the Four-man event
In addition to his Olympic competition, Chris Stokes has been president of the Jamaica Bobsleigh Federation since 1995. He wrote Cool Runnings and Beyond – The Story of the Jamaica Bobsleigh Team (ISBN 1-58982-082-7) about his team's Olympic competition. This book was the basis of the film Cool Runnings.
References
- "Chris Stokes". SR Olympic Sports. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020.
- London, Bill (9 March 1988). "Stokes takes a break for Olympics". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1D.
- "Introducing Chris Stokes". Du Plain International Speakers Bureau. 2008. Archived from the original on 9 August 2010.
- Housen, Claudine (3 April 2006). "A south coast wedding to remember". Jamaica Gleaner. Archived from the original on 17 June 2012.
- Todor Krastev (5 February 2012). "Bobsleigh Fours XVI Winter Olympic Games 1994 Albertville (FRA) – 15,16.02". Todor66.com. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
6. THE JAMAICA BOBSLEIGH AND SKELETON FEDERATION (JBSF) "Legacy" jamaicabobsled.com. Retrieved 23 May 2018