Yes – the Caribbean has Winter Olympians — and probably more than you think. A group of athletes from the region have headed to Russia to compete in the Sochi Winter Olympics this year, from young upstarts to grizzled veterans. Here is the Caribbean’s Olympic contingent in Sochi:
Peter Adam Crook, 21, grew up in Tortola and trains in Park City, Utah. He is competing this year in halfpipe skiing, and is the British Virgin Islands’ first Winter Olympian since Erroll Fraser in 1984 in Sarajevo.
Dow Travers, 26, a native of George Town, is competing in Alpine Skiing. Travers was the first ever native of the Cayman Islands to qualify for the Winter Olympics, having competed in 2010 as well.
Gary Di Silvestri, 47, a former financial executive, is a native of Staten Island. Angelica Morrone di Silvestri is Silvestri’s wife, who also qualified for the Cross-Country in the women’s field. The two received Dominican citizenship after helping to build a children’s hospital on the island. This is the first-ever Winter Olympics for Dominica.
Winston Watt, 47, is the elder statesman of the Caribbean contingent (along with Di Silvestri), and a veteran of the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. His return to Bobsleigh is being hailed as the single-biggest reason for Jamaica’s return to Olympic bobsleigh.
Marvin Dixon, a native of St Andrew Parish in Jamaica, 30, is the brakeman for the two-man bobsleigh team with Winston Watt.
Wayne Blackwell, 44, is a backup member of the Jamaican Bobsleigh Team.
Jasmine Campbell, 22, is representing the United States Virgin Islands in the Alpine Skiing competition. Her father, John Campbell, also competed for the US Virgin Islands in Alpine Skiing, at the 1992 Olympic Games.