Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian has all but officially qualified in the two-woman bobsleigh for next year’s Winter Olympics in China based on the latest International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) rankings.
Following the completion of the North American Cup, Fenlator-Victorian has 766 points which rank her third among pilots behind the USA’s Tiffany Reinbolt (876) and Canada’s Alysia Rissling (832). Carrie Russell is seventh with 332 points.
As it stands, Fenlator-Victorian should be announced as a qualifier on January 16, 2022. She does not need to race in Europe to secure her berth in China and signifies an important step forward in Jamaica’s goals of achieving Olympic qualification.
It has also been a period of redemption for the 36-year-old Jamaican-American bobsledder, who had been given a one-year ban for using the banned steroid Clenbuterol ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Korea.
She was provisionally suspended in March 2018 but her ban took effect March 8, 2019, which meant that she had already served her period of ineligibility.
Having faced the possibility of a four-year ban following the positive test on January 13, 2018, less than a month before she competed at the Pyeongchang Winter Games, the IBSF accepted her explanation that the positive test was caused by a contaminated nutritional supplement.
The IBSF concluded that the athlete had committed an anti-doping rule violation but established no significant fault, given that the detected prohibited substance came from a contaminated supplement.
“Above all else, I am impressed with the character of Jazmine. She has had a challenging time since 2018 but has continued to prove herself to be a leader and a performer, a cohesive and inspiring force on our team,” Jamaica Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation President Nelson Christian Stokes told Sportsmax.TV Monday.
“Her brakewoman, (Audra) Segree, has been having the best season of her life in terms of her push times and results. I am happy to see the fruits of their labour thus far.”
Segree, though cautious, said she was elated to be part of Jamaican bobsleigh history, qualifying for her second Olympics. She said she has her fingers crossed awaiting the official word from the IBSF in January.
“I feel good. We made history. I am elated I am beyond blessed I am beyond grateful how the season has been going,” she said.
“We finished third overall in the NAC in the woman bobsled, the highest-ranking for Jamaican females so far.”
In their final races, Jamaica’s two-woman bobsled team finished outside the podium places but Segree said it was their consistency during the season that made the difference.
“Even though our last three races were fifth, fourth and fourth, we pulled every trick out of the bag seeing we have been on the circuit for so long. We were tired and overwhelmed by the circumstances but we managed to stick to our game plan and we were consistent in all races. We are proud of our results but the fact that we were consistent gave us third place overall.”
Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.
WADA appeals Valieva doping case to CAS after 'wrong' conclusion by RUSADA
Teenage figure skater Kamila Valieva's case has been referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) determined it was "wrong" for her to be cleared of "fault or negligence".
Valieva tested positive for performance-enhancing drug trimetazidine on December 25, 2021, but was able to compete in the 2022 Games in Beijing at the age of 15.
The Russian was cleared to take to the ice in "exceptional circumstances", largely due to her age ensuring she was considered to be a "protected person" under WADA rules.
She won a team gold medal in Beijing and won the European Championships singles title in Tallinn last year.
In January, a Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) disciplinary tribunal deemed Valieva – now 16 – bore "no fault or negligence" for the positive test, meaning the only sanction she faced was the disqualification of her results on the day of the initial sample collection.
WADA requested a copy of the full reasoning for further inspection and is now taking the case to CAS, believing RUSADA's decision falls foul of its code.
A statement, released on Tuesday, read: "Further to its statement of January 13, 2023, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has carefully reviewed the full reasoned decision and file related to the case of Russian Olympic Committee figure skater, Kamila Valieva.
"Accordingly, WADA considers the finding by the disciplinary tribunal of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency that the athlete bore 'no fault or negligence' to be wrong under the terms of the World Anti-Doping Code in this case and has exercised its right to lodge an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"Within the appeal, WADA is seeking a four-year period of ineligibility and disqualification of all the athlete's results from the date of the sample collection on December 25, 2021. As it has sought to do throughout this process, WADA will continue to push for this matter to proceed without further undue delay.
"Given the case is now pending before CAS, WADA can make no further comment at this time."
Teenager Valieva cleared of 'fault or negligence' for failed drugs test ahead of Beijing Olympics
A Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) disciplinary tribunal has ruled that teenage ice skater Kamila Valieva was not guilty of any "fault or negligence" for her failed drugs test ahead of the Winter Olympics last year.
Valieva tested positive for performance-enhancing drug trimetazidine in December 2021, but was able to compete in the 2022 Games in Beijing at the age of 15.
The Russian was cleared to take to the ice in "exceptional circumstances", largely due to her age ensuring she was considered to be a "protected person" under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules.
It was revealed on Friday that RUSADA will not sanction Valieva, now aged 16, aside from the disqualification of her results on the date of the sample collection on Christmas Day in 2021.
She won a team gold medal in Beijing and won the European Championships singles title in Tallinn last year.
WADA has requested a copy of the full reasoned decision made by RUSADA and "will not hesitate to exercise its right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as appropriate."
A WADA statement added: "The decision in this case comes in the wake of WADA's announcement on 8 November 2022 that following an unacceptable delay by RUSADA in rendering a decision in this matter, the Agency had referred it directly to CAS.
"In that referral, WADA sought a four-year period of ineligibility for the athlete. Following a full review of the RUSADA decision, WADA will consider what its next steps will be so that the matter is dealt with as quickly as possible and without further undue delay.
"WADA can make no further comment until it has received and reviewed the reasoned decision and case file."
T&T two-man bobsleigh team makes historic medal run at North American Cup
The Trinidad and Tobago bobsleigh team of Axel Brown and Shakeel John created history for that country at the North American Cup when they finished fourth in the two-man bobsleigh event in Park City, Utah.
They are also now the second Caribbean country to win medals at the North American Cup as Jamaica has won multiple events and medals from the women monobob, two-woman and two-man bobsled events dating back to the 1990s.
In the North American Cup the first six places win medals and Brown and John clocked a combined time of 1:38.24 (48.81/49.43) to finish behind Canada (1:38.11), USA (1:37.78) and the winning Korean team (1:37.59).
It was a major moment in the sport’s history in the twin-island republic athletes.
“We’re all coming to terms with the fact that we just made history,” Brown told Newsday.
“Of course, we wanted to be in the top three, but to be racing against the biggest nations in our sport and challenging them on the ice (is great). I can’t wait to see what this team can continue to achieve.”
The history-making team races again Tuesday, November 22 and Wednesday, November 23.
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