Axel Brown is the pilot for the Trinidad and Tobago Bobsleigh team. He has competed in the sport of bobsleigh for eight years, and competed in the Olympic Games in Beijing 2022.
Axel was born in Harrogate, UK to a British father and Trinidad and Tobagan mother. He only began the sport of bobsleigh in 2014 after having watched it in the Sochi Olympics and thinking “id like to have a go at that”. Before bobsleigh he found success as a Taekwondo national silver medallist in the UK, as well as playing American Football for the GB National Team, and then playing for Division 1 NCAA team the Colorado State Rams.
Axel began bobsleigh as part of the Great Britain team. For the first five years of his career he was a push athlete (Brakeman) and competed on the world cup as well as being a reserve for the World Championships. However, he narrowly missed out on a spot on the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Team.
In his fifth year of competition Axel made the move to become a pilot and started his own team “Axe Racing”. Making the most of an unsettled program in Great Britain he was able to accelerate his progression as a pilot by combining skills both as an athlete but also in organising, funding, and running his own team.
After having success with his team in the Great Britain team, Axel found himself the victim of a harassment campaign by other members of the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association that didn’t like that he was doing things differently. Combined with other coaching decisions, this led Axel to explore his dual citizenship in 2020.
Though the COVID pandemic put the brakes on his move to T&T by almost a year, in July 2021 Axel received his passport and was able to reignite and run the Trinidad and Tobago Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association.
In his debut season for Trinidad and Tobago Axel qualified for the Olympic Games, and set a National Record for his performance at the Olympics. As the first team to compete in the Winter Olympics from T&T for over 20 years, they were able to inspire a nation and show what is possible when you’re willing to break the mould and stand by your values.
Andre Marcano is a brakeman for the Trinidad and Tobago bobsleigh Team. He has raced in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. He is also an accomplished track and field athlete, and sports teacher in New York City.
André first found the sport of bobsleigh in 2021 when pilot Axel brown messaged him on Instagram in a bid to recruit him for his team. Though initially sceptical, André was able to overcome that initial reaction and become the flag bearer for the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Team in Beijing.
Though he had joined the team for a week of the North American cup in November of 2021, shipping delays meant that he wasn’t able to get in a sled at any point. However, he then put in a spectacular performance at the teams Olympic Trials in Calgary in January 2022 and earned himself a spot at the Olympic Games.
André is no stranger to elite sport, having been an established track and field sprinter for some time. He has represented Trinidad and Tobago as part of the 4 x 100m discipline, and currently competes for Central Park Athletics Club in New York City.
Shakeel John is a brakeman for the Trinidad and Tobago bobsleigh Team. He has raced in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. He is also an accomplished track athlete in both the 100m and 200m disciplines.
Shak was born in Trinidad and Tobago and was the youngest Olympian in the sliding sports (bobsleigh, skeleton and Luge) at the Beijing Olympics. He was introduced to the sport of bobsleigh when pilot Axel Brown met him at a track session in Port of Spain, Trinidad in October of 2021.
Shak tried out for the team the next week and excelled at most of the tests, including being well below the minimum standard in the 30m and 60m sprint tests. He would go on to earn his bobsleigh race debut in Lake Placid, NY in December of 2021.
Track was Shakeel’s first love in the world of sport and remains a focus for him. With the track season running in the summer and bobsleigh in the winter he is currently juggling the process of competing in both. Competing for Concorde track and field in Port of Spain, he has aims of being the first person from Trinidad and Tobago to be both a summer and winter Olympian.
Mikel is a three-time Olympian in the sport of 110m hurdles, and part of the Trinidad and Tobago bobsleigh team. Mikel is a household name in Trinidad & Tobago after his successes in Track and Field, competing in the 2008, 2021, and 2016 Summer Olympics.
Mikel was introduced to the sport of Bobsleigh by a friend of his on the US national team who introduced him to pilot Axel Brown in 2021. Despite initially being selected for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, unforeseen circumstances mere days before departure meant that he was unable to make the trip and become Trinidad and Tobago’s first ever summer and winter Olympian.
Mikel has competed in a number of major championships over his career as a 110m hurdles athlete. He has raced in three Olympic Games, three World Championships, and two indoor World Championships. He also won gold in the North American, Central American and Caribbean Championships, and a silver in the Pan American Games in 2015.
The key metrics to being a successful bobsledder are speed, strength, and weight. All three play a key role in making sure a bobsleigh is fast. Strength to get the 170kg (375lb) sled moving, speed to make sure that you can get the sled to a high top-speed on the push, and bodyweight so that in the sled you are helping the sled weigh as much as possible.
RecruitmentThough there is no minimum standard to becoming an elite bobsledder, some combination of all three factors is essential to being World Class. Most Olympic brakemen (push athletes) will weigh between 175lbs – 245lbs and be able to run 60m in under 7 seconds. People trying out for the sport would not need to hit those metrics, but they should at least show promise on all three aspects though.