Devon Harris

From Jamaica Wiki

Devon Harris, born in 1964 in Kingston, is one of the most famous Jamaicans alive. He was a member of the first Jamaican Bobsled team to compete in the Winter Olympics. His Bobsled team first debuted in the 1988 Winter Olympics conducted in Calgary, Alberta. The Jamaican team proved to be a surprise package, finishing fourteenth ahead of many fancied teams from the USA, Russia, France and Italy. Devon Harris also took part in the 1992 and the 1998 editions of the Winter Olympics.

The Kingston Ghetto of Sunrise Drive in Olympic Gardens, a very volatile area commonly referred to as the ‘Waterhouse’ or the ‘Firehouse’, was where Devon Harris spent his childhood. He completed his education at Drews Ave Primary School and the Ardenne High School. He joined the military and finished his military training at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. Harris had been very much attracted to soccer and athletics, events in which he actively participated. He nursed a dream of representing Jamaica in the 1984 Summer Olympics in the 800m and 1500m events, which didn’t bear fruit.

The idea of setting up a Bobsled team was initially suggested to Colonel Ken Barnes of the Jamaican military by two Americans. Harris came across this proposal in an army publication named ‘Force Orders’ in September 1987. The article had invited persons who were willing to undergo ‘rigorous and dangerous training’ to represent their country in the Winter Olympics. Though Harris initially dismissed the idea as ridiculous, his colonel succeeded in convincing him. For the good of Jamaica, Harris came up with the fastest time in the pushcart trials.

Though he continued as an officer in the military after the Olympics in Calgary, he became a civilian after participating in his second Olympics in 1992. Today, Devon Harris is a motivational public speaker and writer.